Clavicula Nox
by Daemonchan
Summary: complete AU, shounen ai:: There was a darkness between him and the memories he needed. And his mind and heart knew that he needed to remember, no matter how hard it was. Their lives depended on it.
1. One::Ryoukai

A Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction

By Daemonchan

Idea by Tschubi-chan

§§§§§

This story was spawned when Tschubi-chan said that she had an idea for one of her gorgeous drawings that she would name Clavicula Nox, "Key of Night". She also challenged someone to write a story by the same title. And I always work best when challenged. Throughout the development of this idea, Tschubi-chan has been giving me feedback and encouragement, so this story is as much hers as mine.

The warning will be listed here because I am not taking up the space on the chapter pages. You get one chance to be warned, after that, all whiners will be ridiculed...

::WARNINGS::

Shounen ai. (All lemon scenes have been deleted in order to be allowed on Full-blown lemon version is available on my website) RanKen (for Tschubi-chan) and flashback pairings (in this world, they have all be each other's lovers at one point in history or another), violence, blood letting, torture::

::SPOILERS:: Takes place after the series. I call the three old people from Aste the Triad, since they are not the whole of Aste. I have not seen the OAV's so for all intents and purposes, they will not or have not happened.

::KEY::

::_italics::_ means either a flashback or telepathic communication. It is easy to tell which is which. By flashback, I mean memories of a previous life. There will be no flashbacks to a previous mission.

Also, what I know of witchcraft and its practice could be summed up in about one little phrase. Whatever you do will be visited back upon you threefold. That is for Wiccanism. However, for this story, we will be dealing with black magic. Any mistakes I make, I make for the sake of the story and understand that all witches are not like the ones I will be portraying.

Clavicula Nox  
One::Ryoukai

Birman was unusually silent as she descended the metal stairs into the Weiß mission room, her eyes focused on the package in her hand. Kritiker had set up a new safe house for the four boys since they had dragged themselves from the sea after the fall of the Triad of Aste. They now lived in an unpreposing apartment with four rooms, unlike their previous arrangements of being completely separate. Kritiker owned the building and only highly classified personnel worked there. The boys found that the only people they needed to lie to about their choice of profession were themselves. Everybody else knew and had no problem with it.

It was infinitely more convenient to have the team at hand and the new head of Kritiker had the basement converted into another mission room, for all the teams housed in the building. Tonight, it was all Weiß.

The four assassins lounged about, Ken idly cleaning a blade of his bugnuks with Aya leaning into the wall just behind him. The blade snicked in and out of it's sheath, Ken making small grunts of satisfaction. Aya's eyes were half-lidded, his body lax. He was no less taciturn since their harrowing foray to save his sister, but knowing she was alive had made him a lot less...tense, as he would put it. And much more trusting of the other three who had survived with him. 'Missing the stick in his ass' was Youji's take on his new attitude.

Youji and Omi were teasing each other playfully, the older assassin trying to see just how red he could make Omi's cheeks.

"Ne, chibi, how do _you_ know that women don't like that? A little twist here, little push there..."

"Youji-kun!"

Youji turned with a smile as he heard the click of heels on the steel of the stairs. "Ne, Birman. New pair of shoes?"

He turned from Omi, bright smile fading quickly as Birman walked by. The playful mood evaporated as they saw the seriousness of Birman's figure and the way she held the tape that contained their mission like it would burst into flames at any moment. After loading the tape, Birman took a step back from the television, turning her head as the video message began to play. Ken should have taken his cue from her, covering his mouth with his hand as he fought to keep from vomiting. The room went cold as police photos of bodies flashed by, the bodies those of young boys, no older than Omi.

Their bodies had been tortured, the pale skin mottled with dark bruises and terrible cuts. Whole sections of skin had been removed from their arms and backs, leaving nothing but bloody muscle exposed. Runes had been carved into their chests, huge symbols that struck a terrifying chord within Ken. It was almost as if he knew what they meant, but the explanation was just beyond his reach...

The pictures played across the television screen with Persia's voice softly explaining the images. "Another body was discovered today, the fourth in as many weeks, along the riverbank. Authorities are saying the victim was killed within the last two days, and left to be found. The body was mutilated by obscene, occult symbols carved into the flesh on the chest, probably while the victim was alive."

Four young boys. Dead, tortured, mutilated...

Ken looked up at the sounds of retching, his stomach tightening in sympathy with Omi's heaves. Youji stood by the boy's side, rubbing slow circles on his back for comfort. He glared slightly at Birman for not giving any forewarning, but the woman was too lost in her own shock to notice. Persia continued with his account throughout the ordeal.

"We believe it is the work of five women who have banded together to form a coven. Their behavior is consistent with people trying to call upon the power of Satan."

Aya gave a soft snort. "What a stupid reason to kill."

Ken nodded in agreement, studying Aya's profile instead of the gruesome pictures on display. The red headed boy had shown no signs of being bothered by the gruesome film, though his violet eyes had begun to glow with determination. Nothing short of Hell could stop Aya from taking this mission now.

"White hunters, hunt down the tomorrow of the dark beasts!"

Ken sighed as Aya turned off the TV. _Thank God that's over with_. He rose carefully, not trusting his trembling legs. He may have not given into the physical urge to run and hide, but his body still felt the terror that those pictures brought out; harsh, unexplainable fear that made his heart beat wildly. The entire situation was beginning to feel like an episode of déjà vu, after it had been detoured through the Twilight Zone.

_::They have their final victim. They will kill them tomorrow, on the Hallow's Eve.::_

Ken staggered slightly, a hand rising to his forehead. The voice in his head had been so clear...but it had sounded like Aya speaking to him...

Omi made his way to where Ken was standing, his brows drawn together in confusion. "Ken-kun?"

The soft words made Ken jump. _Great, Hidaka. You're becoming a basket case._ The thought almost made him laugh aloud. His choice of careers alone made him certifiable; why shouldn't he be hearing voices that were not his own? "Gomen, Omi...daijoubu?"

Before Omi had a chance to answer, Birman cleared her throat loudly, tucking her dark hair behind her ears. "We have triangulated the locations of the bodies against a map of Tokyo. The killers are working in a pattern, that of a pentagram. And if they remain with their pattern of killings, we believe that the next murder will take place on..."

"Halloween."

The room was coldly silent as all eyes turned to Ken, who had found a surprisingly interesting spot on the ceiling tiles. He knew his friends were waiting for an answer...an answer he didn't have to give. How could he explain the creepy feelings that had overcome him since seeing those terrible runes...or the voice that had finished Birman's sentence for her? The ex-soccer player was starting to have a really bad feeling about the whole thing.

Aya broke the awkward pause. "That only gives us a couple days. What is the connection between the victims?"

Birman flipped through the folder in her hand, drawing out a black and white picture of the front of a dance club. Youji let out a low whistle at the customers lined up out front. Most of them were young teens, wearing clothing that would server better as washrags. Each of them wore heavy makeup, intensely "goth".

"One of your usual hang outs, Youji?" Ken said softly, intending to break the heavy silence.

The joke fell flat as it met with the tension that had built since Birman's arrival. The dark haired assistant drew out another photo, this time of a woman more conservatively dressed, but still exuding the same dark sexuality that the teens outside of the club were striving for. Ken felt himself go cold and repressed a shudder. The woman's face was eerily familiar.

"This will be your target. Her name is Mary Denninger, but she goes by the alias Yuki. Apparently, she and her accomplices own a night club called Clavicula Nox."

The hair on Ken's neck stood on end and he rubbed at the sudden goosebumps on his arms. He could see each of his companions react to the name, as if it were familiar to them. But Ken was sure none of them, even Youji, had ever been to a club by that name. Birman continued, unaware of Weiß' discomfort.

"We talked with witnesses at the club and they say they saw each boy leaving with her on the night of their deaths."

Omi nodded, his face still pale from his retching. "Will one of us have to pose as a victim?"

Birman flinched, as if she had dreaded the question, but recovered quickly. "If it is possible. Ken and Omi are within the age range they are looking for, as well as the same physical attractiveness." She laughed hollowly. "It seems our so called witches prefer their victims to be pretty before they torture and kill them."

Ken swallowed hard. _Lucky me._

"Is there anything else we should know?"

It was a good thing Aya was still thinking clearly. Ken couldn't shake the feeling of impending disaster and would have missed any small details the Kritiker agent might offer.

"Use extreme caution. The members of this cult are reputed to have "supernatural" power. And after your dealings with Aste, I think it's safe to assume those rumors might be true."

_Oh, this just keeps getting better and better..._

§§§§§

The nightclub, Clavicula Nox, was teeming with activity. Kids barely older than sixteen lined up in hopes to gain access to the exclusive night spot, flesh bared to the cool October air so that they might fit in with the dark crowd that populated the club every night. Meter tall letters flashed a garish blue onto the street below, the hum of neon nearly lost beneath the music blaring within the club's confines.

Ken could feel the bass thrumming from his vantage point on the rooftop across from the building, dark techno music that was strangely erotic. He most definitely didn't want to think about what the subtle vibrations were doing to his body...

Youji's voice rang in his earpiece. "Are you ready, Ken?"

"H...hai!" Ken cursed at his nervous reply, waiting for Youji to return with a joke. When no reply came, he looked down to the street where Aya and the blonde were waiting their turn in line. Youji was busy talking with a very tall, violet-headed girl. Ken had only seen that shade of hair color on an anime shoujo. He wasn't sure it could be reproduced in real life, but here was the living proof.

Aya did turn and look up, his gaze fixed on the moon behind Ken, but he could almost see the question in the cool violet eyes. _Daijoubu?_

Ken felt himself blushing at the thought. Since the fall of the Triad and Schwarz, he and Aya had become closer, drawn to each other by the desperation of the life they had taken up. They were dead to the world, even Aya's beloved sister, but they had not forsaken the cause they had begun as agents of Kritiker.

The dark haired assassin had noticed the change in Aya...strange glances while working, accidental touches...no, Ken was being fanciful. He shook his head and laughed at himself. _You're falling for someone who will never love you back..._

"We're going in, Siberian. You have our backs."

Ken nodded in response, turning his mind to the mission at hand. He watched with a small smile as Youji and Aya pushed their way to the front of the crowd, the offended teens silenced by Aya's chilling glare. Youji merely smiled and approached the barrel-chested bouncer, leaning in close like he was going to kiss the large man, then stepping back and through the door. Aya followed closely, long jacket swirling in the warm air that surged from the building. Soon, they were gone.

"Take care, Ay...you guys." Ken whispered, turning up his audio pickup. It was his only connection to the boys inside until they made visual contact with the target, and he'd have to be ready if either gave the code word for extraction. Once they had located Yuki, they would start a video feed so that they could study her and her accomplices before tomorrow night, when they made the hit. The "witches" were only to be followed tonight. There was something too strange about this case and Ken could feel something familiar tugging at the edge of his thoughts.

Something was going to happen...and Ken had an awful feeling it would change their lives forever...

Youji strode into the club, smiling at the disappointed pouts of the scattered teens at the entrance. Some of them thought his incredible looks had gotten him in; wearing bright red leather pants that left nothing to the imagination was certainly a good way to get the bouncer's attention. But then again, so were a few thousand yen bills. It all depended on how you looked at it.

Aya was close at his heels, violet eyes scanning the crowd for their target. He was appalled at the mass of people writhing at the center of the club, their bodies pale in the violet of scattered backlights. It was like a half clothed orgy and he did not relish the idea of making his way through it to search for Yuki.

Youji on the other hand was sliding through the crowd easily, his hands gently pushing people out of his way in a manner that made them smile with pleasure. He lived for the looks his body drew, dark, half-lidded gazes that promised forbidden pleasures should he desire them.

With long practiced grace, he accosted a passing waitress by looping a long arm about her waist, pulling her to him until they were almost kissing. "Ne, lovely lady, do you know where we might find a woman named Yuki?"

The girl stared into the jade eyes in shock. Aya watched her face darken as Youji ground his hips against hers. "Na...you can find her in the Private Ring, upstairs. Her's..." The girl swallowed hard, trying to keep herself upright. "Her's is the last door."

Youji kissed her darkened lips tenderly, reaching down to give her buttocks a playful squeeze. "Arigatou, ojousan. You've been most helpful."

The girl nearly fell away when Youji released her waist. Aya reached out to steady her, and saw her eyes glaze over. With a quick thank you, Aya followed Youji into the mass that spilled out of the dance floor into the bar area, bodies so close it was impossible to see where one ended and another began. Music louder than his thoughts filled the hot air, driving the dancers to some personal orgasm. The moaning and screaming the filtered under the bass indicated that some of them had achieved it.

There was a crackle of static in his ear that sounded like a sigh of disapproval. Youji made no sign that he had heard it as he continued to part the crowd and make his way to the wrought iron stairs that snaked their way up the wall of the club. Aya glanced up briefly, his gaze met by darkened eyes that hid a despair that chilled him. The girl couldn't have been more than thirteen, her body starved looking in the skin tight shirt and pants of shimmering black. Thick black hair fell about a face of fine beauty, but her eyes

He had seen that look in his own eyes before, when it seemed nothing could be left to live for. Aya-chan was awake, living the life she should have had. Takatori and Schwarz were gone, buried in the past. It was that despair that had driven him to continue Weiß, to bring back purpose to his life.

And in Weiß, he found his new life, his new reason for living. And for the first time since Aya-chan's accident, the ice had melted from his heart, and he saw the world through someone else's eyes.

Aya shook his head, elbowing a passing dancer particularly hard as he growled in frustration. His feelings for Ken were clear to him, but it seemed that Ken...no, Ken could never want a man whose cold heart was too hard to reach.

He stared hard into the eyes above him until their owner turned away in fear. He watched the pale figure retreat into the deep shadows under the roof of the balcony, nearly running...in the direction they were headed.

Aya grabbed his partner by the arm, just as Youji was about to take a step onto the black iron stair. "We've been spotted."

Youji didn't question Aya's statement. He nodded and continued up the stairs, feeling Aya's steps behind him. He tried not to let it show, but the fact that they had been spotted made Youji's skin crawl. How could you find someone you didn't even know was looking for you?

Wrash stumbled back from the railing as she broke gazes with the blood haired boy near the steps below. The power behind those eyes was boggling; his entire body fairly glowed with magic...and he was surely ignorant of it.

She could see the golden aura of his companion as well. Both were...intense. The minute they had entered the club...Wrash had felt them on the edge of her consciousness, bright powers that beat against the dark magic that suffused her own body. Her mistress would want to know of them.

_Too bad either of you is too old to be sacrificed. Your power would surely raise the Key from its Void..._

_::Wrash...return to me::_

Wrash nodded, biting back the pain that accompanied her mistress' voice. She made her way quickly to her mistress' door, entering into the darkness beyond. As her eyes adjusted to the low light, Wrash kept her gaze trained on the floor, afraid to meet the cold eyes of the woman seated before her.

Yuki smiled at her familiar's terror, breathing the fear as if it were perfume. Soft sourceless light suffused the darkness, highlighting Yuki's pale body. She stood, her whip thin form surrounded by lengths of dark silks that spilled across the dais where her throne stood. Slender fingers beckoned her pale servant forward, drawn to her mistress by invisible hands.

"What have you seen, my servant?"

Wrash swallowed hard, trembling hands pulling at the thin material of her black shirt. "Two boys, mistress. They have incredible natural magic..."

Yuki cut her off with a wave of her hand. "But too old for our sacrifice." Wrash only nodded, awaiting her next orders. "Come here, child."

Sudden terror seized Wrash's limbs. She knew what the mistress meant to do and her body feared the pain...

Agony washed through her frame as Yuki stepped forward to grasp either side of her head with cold hands. They felt like a corpse's touch on Wrash's fine skin, dry and unnatural. The witch's mind thrust painfully into her own, tearing through the memories of the two boys.

The blonde, thin and elegant, moving with an unconscious grace that made Wrash's knees weak...The blood haired boy, so sad and distant, his violet eyes failing to hide his secret pain...

"Weiß..."

Yuki released the drained girl, turning from the huddled figure. "Weiß has returned. And two souls have already been reunited..."

Wrash could barely concentrate on Yuki's words, her head throbbing to her heartbeat. She felt her body go cold as she caught one word..._Weiß_.

"But...they have no memories, mistress..."

Yuki's laugh was cold. "Yes, girl. They are too late to interfere. Tomorrow, we will summon the Key and they cannot stop us."

Youji hummed lightly as he worked at the lock, thin wires twisting expertly. The door opened with a satisfying click and the blonde assassin stepped aside with a bow, allowing Aya to enter first. Aya ignored the smug look and drew his blade from his jacket.

Low moans came to him and he shrugged in distaste. He had seen his fair share of dark pleasures in this club and it made his stomach turn. Ignoring the writhing on the bed in the center of the room, he walked up and placed his blade on the back of the topmost figure.

The room was suddenly very silent as they noticed Aya's presence. A freckled face peered out from under the silk blankets, green eyes fearful. Aya did not move the katana, but gave a small smile and gestured towards the door with his head. The girl nodded and turned back to her companion.

Youji bit his cheek to keep from laughing as the naked youths scrambled for the door, wearing nothing but the sheets from the bed. "Arigatou gozaimasu!" he called as they slammed the door behind them, refusing to look back at the boy with the sword.

The tall assassin walked to the bed, flopping down with a sigh. "You know, Aya. With your people skills, I'm surprised you don't have more friends."

Aya did not deign to answer his friend's barb. Instead, he walked over to the wall that led into Yuki's room, removing a thin drill from a pocket. The machine was nearly noiseless as it ate through the painted drywall and into the chamber beyond, leaving a hole no bigger than an American dime.

Youji crouched beside him, silent as his leader worked. When he was done, Youji touched his communicator. "Siberian, are you ready for video feed?"

_::Ken winced as Omi bound his leg, the strips of cloth tightening to stop the bleeding. "Omi..."_

_Soft lips silenced his protests. He could taste Omi's blood, the youth suffering from horrible internal injuries. They had both taken a terrible beating...but they had succeeded. The dark coven was cast once again into the spirit world until they were reborn anew._

_"I miss the others, Ken-kun."_

_Ken's heart broke at the sadness in his lover's voice. It had been many years since all of them had been together, the five souls of Weiß. He caressed the boy's cheek, wiping away tears with his fingers. "Youji promised. We will be together again. Have faith, koibito."_

_Omi nodded. "I know. Someday..."::_

Ken started sharply from his doze, cursing himself for having fallen asleep. He had been soothed by the music, as loud as it was, his earpiece turned down to save what was left of his hearing.

He touched his lips, fully expecting to feel the warm blood that had been in his dream...

"Siberian? Are you ready for video feed?" Youji's voice crackled into his ear.

The last remnants of his dream faded away as Ken hauled himself to a sitting position, his legs cramped from disuse. A small monitor and recording deck was set up in front of him. The screen showed a somewhat fish-eyed view of Youji staring down the end of the optic fiber. Ken smiled and turned his headset back up.

"Hai. Recording now."

The view blurred as Youji turned and the optic was threaded through the hole that had been made in the wall. It was dark for a moment before the wire thin camera snaked out the other side.

Ken squinted to try and make out anything in the half darkness. The picture cleared as the optic compensated and the assassin could see two figures talking. One was a rail thin girl kneeling before another, the woman Yuki.

"Target confirmed."

Aya's voice returned. "Wakkata. Securing visual feed. Sending through audio."

Scratching came through the speakers as the audio fiber followed the visual. Ken smiled as he began receiving Yuki's voice clearly. "...they cannot stop us."

"Audio is perfect, Abyssinian. Secure and get the hell out of there."

"But we were just starting to have fun," came Youji's pout, followed by a sharp cry of pain. Ken smiled as he imagined Aya smacking his wayward teammate. "Hai. Balinese out."

Ken's earpiece went dead. He stared in fascination at the screen before him, his mind overwhelmed with the idea that he had seen the woman on the dais somewhere before...somewhere long ago

_::Yuki will try to raise the Key on Halloween, when the veil between worlds in thinnest...::_

Ken bit back a cry of pain. Again Aya's voice echoed in his head, the words chilling his heart. It was steadily becoming more than a mission, something that was tearing at the very fabric of the world they knew.

The assassin stood, turning back to the club to watch for Youji and Aya. His blue gray eyes were drawn to the flashing neon sign, the words Clavicula Nox glowing an eerie red in the darkness.

_Clavicula Nox...Key of night...the key_

Ken slammed his fist on the top of the short wall, ignoring the pain that flared up his arm. It was like he was trying to remember something, but there was a darkness between him and the memories he needed. And his mind and heart knew that he needed to remember, no matter how hard it was.

Their lives depended on it. 


	2. Two::Enemies New & Old

Clavicula Nox  
Two:: Enemies New and Old

§§§§§

_THAT SAME NIGHT_

_::The witch's eyes were like slivers of cold obsidian as she rose from her position over the body on the table. The unfortunate youth was slowly bleeding to death and there was nothing he could do to help the boy...except for making sure that the witch didn't live to take another life._

_He inhaled deeply, hands raising in mock prayer to his chest. He dropped all natural barriers, opening himself to the force of the world. His body trembled as the invisible rush began, filling every cell of his being. He felt like he was being torn apart, the natural magic coursing through his body like a conductive rod...more power than any human was capable of using. He heard someone cry out, their voice breaking in terror._

_"Nagi! NO!!"::_

Nagi screamed into the darkness of his bedroom, hands clutched about his chest as he fought off the imaginary pain that had followed him into waking.

There were dull thuds as objects began raining about his bed, including his bedside lamp, shoes, any small thing his unconscious use of power had picked up. He carefully crawled from under his blankets, sweeping his sweat soaked hair from his eyes.

_That's never happened before..._

The dream. The dream had triggered his power. The crushing feeling from the vision was similar to when he loosed a particularly powerful surge, like the destruction Masafumi's lab. His body filled with unseen energy until it seemed he would die from the burning in his veins. And when he released...They were probably all lucky he hadn't leveled the house.

There was a muffled click as his door was opened. Light from the hall fell onto his back, replaced by the long shadow of a familiar head.

"Ne, bishounen...are you okay? You were screaming like a girl for a second there."

The fire headed German managed to make even the smallest show of humanity into some form of condescension. Nagi was sure he was keeping score somewhere how many insults he could fit into one sentence. The dark haired boy was long since past caring about Schuldich's words. He knew what was in the German's heart.

The boy paused before answering, unsure of his voice. _::A nightmare. One that triggered my power.::_

That caught Schuldich's interest. The incident at Masafumi's lab was enough to make the telepath wary of his young teammate. A lot of power lay dormant in that tiny body. _::Any damage?::_

_::No. I'm fine now.::_

_::Hn. I'm going out to meet with the witch. Try not to obliterate the place before I get back, ne?::_

Nagi waved impatiently at the red head, glad when the door finally closed again. His skin prickled as he recalled Schuldich's meeting with the head of a local coven, one that had grown powerful enough to gain the interest of Aste. It was Schwarz's job to make sure that the offer to join the global organization was accepted before Halloween.

Their rest had been brief since pulling their bruised and sorry asses from the sea. Aste had been forgiving of their best team, sending them back to Tokyo to continue to work for their ends, though Nagi had the sneaking suspicion that Aste was quite aware of their little coup in the temple that led to the destruction of the Triad.

The mission was entirely too strange. The deadline had been the first curious condition of their mission. Aste was obviously aware of what the coven was doing and needed to make sure that they were on the correct side when that was finished.

The second curious thing about the assignment had been the strange dreams that Nagi had been having; flashes of voices and faces that were too vague to put a name to. Though tonight was the first time those visions had caused him to respond with his power.

He was certainly glad that Crawford had assigned Schuldich to the initial meeting with the mistress of the coven. A strange feeling nagged at the back of his mind, a tiny itch that was steadily becoming fear. And Nagi knew with certainty that it centered around the woman Yuki.

_Be careful, Schuldich,_ he thought, though he knew his teammate probably already had his shields up, muting the everyday voices that assaulted his mind._ Nothing is what it seems._

§§§§§

_::Nothing is what it seems...::_

Schuldich smiled at the whisper of Nagi's voice at the edge of his mind. It was tinged with fear, the strange feeling that the German had been sensing from his teammate ever since their assignment had come down from Aste. He was tempted to try and tease the satisfaction to his curiosity out of the pale youth, but that fear had put all of them on edge.

_Nothing ever is, bishounen..._

Schuldich chose to take the rooftops across town, his speed sending him gracefully along his path. He came to a stop on the roof of the building just across from the club where he was meeting Yuki, unaware that Weiß had vacated that particular area no more than five minutes before.

He smiled at the crowd below, feeling a slight stir in his groin at the sight of the half dressed crowd that buzzed with repressed sexual energy. Pale faces were bloodied by the neon sign flashing above them. Schuldich knew immediately that it was his kind of place, a place to get lost in the dark and perfect the art of commandment breaking. So many delicious little minds to feast on.

Schuldich sent his mind searching through the club, his focus on finding the unique psyche that would mark the mistress of the dark coven. An unnatural chill passed through his limbs as he made contact, making him feel like he had stepped through something too filthy for words.

He had touched millions of minds in his short lifetime, some of them depraved beyond measure. This mind was...true evil. No soul lay in that mind, no remorse, no regret. The witch was as heartless as a living creature could be.

_::Schuldich...::_

He swallowed hard, trying to push away his discomfort. _::Yuki-sama...::_

The mental voice poured like liquid darkness through his mind. _::Come inside. I await Aste's word.::_

The German felt himself moving at her command, his body separate from his mind. Long, powerful legs not under his control took him quickly to street level and past the bouncer at the door. There wasn't even a look of confusion as Schuldich moved faster than thought, the door swinging open to greet him. He tried to fight the impending dread that had crept into his mind as he dodged gracefully through the mass of bodies that blocked the dance floor.

The dread became unfamiliar fear as he ascended the wrought iron stairs and dashed down the hall, pausing before the last door. It opened without a sound and Schuldich fought to keep himself from walking forward. Yuki had trapped him within his own head, the power of her personality easily overcoming even the strongest of his barriers. He was at her mercy.

Yuki smiled as he entered, pale figure illumined by hundreds of candles that had been set up around her dais. His eyes were wide with carefully controlled fear, but her will ground against his, watching as Schuldich felt his control being torn away.

"Pretty warlock. Are you all that Aste sends me?"

For the first time in his life, Schuldich's words failed him. His head nodded, hair falling about his paling face. He was frozen as Yuki rose from her throne, pacing deliberately towards his trapped form. The folds of her silk gown spilled to the floor, the dark material accenting her alabaster skin.

Her lips moved, forming words that came too quickly to understand, the syllables blending with the shush of dragging material of Yuki's dark gown. She stopped before the German bishounen; Schuldich's eyes were glassy as her spell stole his resistance. "Yes, a warlock. Such potential." She grasped both sides of his head with chilling fingers, dark eyes boring into shocked blues. Deep in his mind, Yuki could feel the faint vibrations of his mental scream as she violated his mind, digging farther into his consciousness than even he had dared to go.

_There! The connection..._

A tendril of power connected Schuldich to a mind far away, the faint line fading into the darkness of the collective unconscious.

_::Yuki.::_

A thousand voices seemed to be contained in that whisper, the power behind the sound overwhelming. If Yuki had not been supporting Schuldich, the Schwartz's consciousness would have vanished in a burning flash. As it was, he was developing an incredible headache.

Yuki pushed her mind along the connection. _::Honorable, Aste.::_ The distaste was apparent in her voice. _::I know that you fear what I am about to do. You want the power for your own. What do you offer me that will not be mine once the Key is summoned?::_

The reply seemed hesitant. _::We offer you the security that is Aste. We would let you...::_

_::Let me?::_ Yuki sneered, laughing at the pain her shout caused the boy in her arms. Schuldich began to pray that it would end soon._ ::You would let me rule the world? The Key is nearly mine and there is nothing you can do to stop me!::_

Again the multivoiced whisper flowed. _::What of Weiß? They are four...::_

Yuki laughed shortly, the sound ringing in the German's head. _::They have no memory yet of their previous lives. They will be too late to stop me.::_

The witch pulled back from Aste collective mind, using her voice for emphasis. "Once I have summoned the Key...Perhaps you should begin to tremble now, mighty Aste. Even your pitiful coven cannot defeat me."

The connection was severed quickly, making Schuldich grunt with unexpected pain. Though he had been unable to stop her, he had heard everything. Aste was terrified of Yuki and the power she sought.  
They had underestimated Yuki's power.

"Ahhh, Schuldich. How right you are." She held his head tighter, bringing the German's trembling lips to her own. "Aste has made their mistake and will pay for it soon.

"For now...return to your home. Remember nothing of what has happened here. I will see you again, beautiful Schuldich."

The power dragged itself from his mind, replacing memories with false ones as it went. The last part of Schuldich that had resisted Yuki's strength faded and his vision became black.

§§§§§

Omi was sleeping when they finally got home, since he hadn't been allowed to come with them because of school tomorrow. Tomorrow evening was going to be rough enough without all of them missing some much needed sleep. Thankfully, they had unanimously agreed to close the shop for Halloween, not only to study their targets as thoroughly as possible, but to catch some rest before the mission was joined.

Youji shuffled up the stairs for a shower, peeling off his clothing along the way. Ken laid the video equipment on the front counter, working the stiffness from his arms. He gave it a cursory look, making sure the remote feed was still active. Even if he wanted to, he was too tired to look at the information it was recording.

It was the constant worry and sense of strangeness that ate away at his energy. His nerves were keyed for a danger he knew was there but couldn't find. He jumped when Aya's hand touched his shoulder.

"You're tired."

Ken didn't even have the energy to point out that Aya was just restating the obvious. Still, he refused to give into the exhaustion. Strangely, he was afraid to dream...

Ken stumbled, falling hard against Aya's chest. The taller boy caught him before he slipped to the floor, strong arms going about his shoulders in a protective embrace. Oddly, Ken found himself near tears, teeth buried in his lip to keep from sobbing.

Aya's arms tightened as he noticed the slight shaking of his friend's shoulders. "Daijoubu ka?"

Ken stood, wiping a hand across his eyes. "It's nothing, Aya. I'm...just overly tired." He couldn't explain to himself why he was crying; how could he tell Aya about the overwhelming fear that had seized his heart since the mission had begun...and the eerie feeling that he had done this some time before...

_Some time before..._

The red headed boy didn't buy the excuse. Instead, he bent slightly, pulling Ken's long legs out from under him and cradling his shoulders. The dark haired assassin eeped in surprise but didn't fight as Aya carried him up the stairs and into his bedroom.

Ken couldn't take his eyes from Aya's as the taller boy laid him on the bed. With a gentleness he never knew the red head possessed, he was freed of his weapons and goggles. He shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it next to the bed. He lay back on the pillows and sighed in contentment.

Aya placed the objects in his hand on the dresser next to the door, pausing as if he had something more to say. Ken struggled from his half doze.

"Aya?"

The other boy turned and regarded his teammate with patient eyes. Ken was nearly asleep already, his voice slurred by exhaustion.

"Yes, Ken?"

"Stay with me."

Aya could not stop his gasp of surprise and he turned his head to hide his eyes. He gripped the doorframe hard enough to bruise his palms, torn between his desire to stay and the knowledge that he shouldn't. If anything were to happen between them...they would be in danger...they would be weak...

_Would that be so terrible?_

"Ken...I...I can't"

He heard the other boy shift on the bed. "Please, Aya...I don't want to dream tonight..."

Aya looked sharply over his shoulder but Ken's blue gray eyes had closed in slumber. With graceful steps, the red headed boy walked over to stand at his friend's bedside, pale hand reaching down to brush the errant brown hair from Ken's eyes. His cool touch seemed to sooth away some of the tension in Ken's face and suddenly he knew there was no way he could abandon the boy he loved.

Careful not to disturb his sleeping love, Aya sat at the head of the bed, leaning against the wall. Sleep overcame him as he whispered words that had come to his mind, unknown but familiar. They seemed the right thing to say. "No harm to thee as long as I remain by your side."

And Ken dreamed no more that night.

§§§§§

_::Youji stroked Ken's hair, trying to comfort the young warlock as memories overwhelmed him. The boy was shocked by the images that played in his head; visions of his own repeated death at the hands of the witches they were to face. It was unnerving to see yourself die for hundreds of lifetimes._

_Youji didn't have all his memories back but instinct told him it was only a matter of time. Once one's memories returned, the rest were quick to follow._

_"You always were more sensitive to the magic than the rest of us, Ken..."::_

The blonde awoke with a start, staring into space as he tried to hold onto the last vestiges of the dream. He could still feel the silk of Ken's hair beneath his fingers, and the fire that swept through his body as he realized it had been a lover's touch.

"Now, now, Kudou. You're gonna need an ice bath you think on that much longer."

He pulled himself from bed, the lingering sensations disappearing along with what he had been able to keep of the dream. Late afternoon light spilled through the window, a strained orange color as the sun fought its way through the thick curtains. Youji sighed dramatically as he pulled on cotton pajama bottoms and lit a cigarette. After a thoughtful drag, he got up and left his room, heading for Ken's open door.

Youji leaned against the doorframe to Ken's room, cigarette in his graceful fingers. Both Aya and Ken were spooned together on top of the blankets, the red head's arms wrapped possessively about the younger boy.

_::Together again...just like I promised...::_

The blonde ignored the twinge of pain in his head. He was happy to see Aya finally coming out from his cold façade and showing his feelings for their soccer playing teammate. Youji knew that everyone had their own pain to hide, Kami knew he had a fair share of his own, but he still liked to see others around him happy. Even if he couldn't be.

Youji smiled as Aya stirred, sleepy violet eyes looking about in surprise. He propped himself up on an elbow, his gaze finally settling on the still form of Ken next to him.

"Ne, Aya? You might want to escape if you want to keep your cover intact."

The blonde assassin laughed off the glare he received in response. He heard the squeak of mattress springs before he stumbled gracefully down the stairs, squinting at the sunlight that filtered through the shades.

A knock at the front door made him groan. He recognized the sound, just as easily as he would have recognized her legs or perfume. With a grandiose flourish, he swept the door open.

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Manx." 


	3. Three::Curiouser and Curiouser

Clavicula Nox  
Three:: Curiouser and Curiouser

§§§§§

_All Hollow's Eve, 1:00 p.m._

Manx perched gracefully on the corner of Omi's desk, red hair tumbling across her shoulders. She briefed them on current developments, sounding almost cross the assassins had chosen to sleep rather than continue to surveil the club and gather more information on Yuki. Youji and Aya sat on the couch, listening intently while Ken rewound the tape from their overnight observation of Yuki in her private room. He looked up at the assistant's voice.

"Birman is preparing the things you will need when you pose as a victim tonight, Ken, and Omi as well."

Ken groaned. All this infiltration stuff was getting on his nerves. He was more of a face to face kind of guy. Plus the idea of being forced to wear the same kinds of clothing that he had seen the club kids wear...he shuddered and rubbed his arms to dispel the chill.

He carried the recording equipment to Omi's desk, smiling as Manx stepped out of the way. He tapped a button and the tape deck gave a small chirrup. Manx and the other two assassins clustered around the dark haired boy as the screen brightened with an image.

Apparently Yuki had learned a thing or two from movie villains. She did not speak much, and when she did, it was to give orders to the thin, pale girl who attended her. Youji had identified her as the girl they had seen on the balcony, shaking his head as if to ward off the strange feeling of her heavy gaze. Ken stifled a yawn as five minutes of footage dragged by. He could see the others' eyes glazing with boredom as well.

A sudden flash of orange caught his eye. "Oi, minna. Look at this."

Following Ken's guiding finger, the four assassins watched with trepidation as a shadowed figure moved into the circle of Yuki's light. Aya's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Schuldich. Schwarz."

The silence was dreadful as the realization that their enemies had survived the destruction of the temple as well hit the group. White and Black were at odds once more. Ken felt himself go cold at the implication that they might have to face the inhuman team...he was still haunted by the terrible beating he had gotten from the Irish madman...

Omi turned up the audio feed, staring with fascination as Schuldich stepped forward, his body stiff as if he were fighting something

_::It was an unnatural feeling that crept up on him. Omi found his arm raising of it's own accord, power gathered at the center of his palm, ready to strike at Ken's vulnerable back._

_"No," Omi whispered, suddenly sure that his body was no longer his own...::_

Omi hissed in pain as the thoughts and images flashed through his brain, almost too fast to register. Youji looked over in concern.

"Daijoubu, chibi?"

The youth just nodded and turned back to his study of the screen. He could just make out Schuldich's words, the German's voice strained with effort. Yuki rose from her throne and stalked towards the helpless Schwarz with feral grace, pale frame starkly beautiful in her dark gown.

Ken stumbled back from the desk with a startled whimper as the witch grabbed either side of Schuldich's head, lips moving in an unintelligible whisper. He could feel the malignant power behind the words, hear the German's mind cry in pain as his personality was beaten down...

_::Ken turned at Omi's whisper, watching as his lover raised a sphere of power...aimed for his heart._

_The dark haired warlock froze in mid-motion, trying not to spook the other boy. He could see the struggle in Omi's body as he fought to lower his hand. "Omi? What's wrong?"_

_The tears in the young boy's eyes tore at Ken's heart. "She's in my mind, Ken. Kami help me...she has my soul..."_

_The power flared brightly in his hand, and his palm turned towards the taller boy. Ken's eyes widened as he realized that Omi was fighting one of the witches' influence...and she was trying to kill him..._

_Ken stood quickly as Omi screamed in pain, forcing his hand to turn from Ken towards his own chest. "Omi! No!"_

_He could do nothing but watch as Omi sent the magic through his own body, tearing a bloody hole in his chest. Ken caught the boy as he fell, cradling the still form to his chest. His own eyes misted with tears, overwhelmed with the knowledge that the responsibility had become his alone::_

Warm hands on his shoulders brought him back from his shock. "Breathe, Ken!"

With a shuddering breath, Ken drew in the precious air he didn't even realize he had been missing. He fell hard to his knees, head lowered as he fought to calm his heart. Aya's concerned voice made him look up in surprise.

"He's not ready for this."

With a grunt, Ken pulled himself to his feet. He smiled, trying to play off his weakness. "Ne, Aya, I'm fine." The words belied his confusion. He had no idea why he had reacted the way he had. And he couldn't be sure that it wouldn't happen again.

Manx had no sympathy as she watched the exchange between the two assassins. "He must be ready. There is no one else."

Aya's eyes hardened at her words, even though he knew that what she said was true, just as it had been for every mission in their short lives. A flash of pain arced through his head for a strange instant, come and gone quickly.

_::Ken's voice drifted to him, a memory of a life past. "We are all that is left. There is no one else..."::_

Ken stepped forward, cutting off further protest from Aya. He fought to control his trembling limbs as he spoke with far more confidence than he felt. "Let's do this."

§§§§§

Nagi found Schuldich sitting on the balcony, cigarette burning between his slim fingers. The German was eerily silent as he stared out over the rooftops of Tokyo, a sight that would generally amuse him as he studied the snatches of thought that drifted up to him from the crowded streets below. He wore an old sweater of soft gray and khakis that were rumpled and far from his usual fastidious appearance. He had spent hours in the shower as if trying to wash something away.

He didn't even flinch as a passing breeze blew the silk strands of his hair onto the burning end of his cigarette, the singed ends burning brightly for an instant before putting themselves out.

"Schuldich!" Nagi stepped forward, gently pulling the copious mane from further danger. There was a disinterested grunt from his teammate.

_::Schuldich...please, talk to me.::_

Deep blue eyes turned to the younger Schwarz. Nagi saw a haunting there that surprised and terrified him. Something had broken through the German's tough exterior and touched something within him.

_::Do you believe in evil, Nagi?::_

The question caught Nagi by surprise. He swept his dark hair out of his eyes, following his companion's gaze across the cityscape. He had an unfortunate understanding that good and evil were not black and white, not clear cut or easily identifiable. Weiß was considered good and yet they murdered their fellow man, hoping that the ends would justify the means.

Schwarz lived outside the laws of man, being shunned by the human race for most of their natural lives. They did what they did for money or personal gain. But they did not murder just for the sake of the killing, the joy of watching someone die. Nagi himself often found himself hesitant to take unnecessary life in the course of his missions.

_::Of a sort. The Triad was evil, I guess.::_

A soft mental snort accompanied Schuldich's reply. _::Believe me, bishounen. If you ever met evil, you'd know it...to the depths of your soul.::_

Nagi was concerned by the desolate tone of his companion's mind. Out loud, he asked, "Schuldich, what happened with Yuki?"

There was no other explanation for the German's behavior. He had been his usual cocky self before his visit to the Clavicula Nox and now he was withdrawn and almost scared.

"I don't remember."

With unusual kindness, Nagi touched the red head's shoulder . He was not prepared for Schuldich's response and watched helplessly as silent tears slipped down the stoic boy's face.

"I can't shake the feeling that all this is wrong. Everything. Aste. Yuki. Schwarz. Something incredibly sinister is going on here and I think we are just stepping into the middle of it. We are all going to die."

The dark haired kinetic hadn't the time to blink before Schuldich jumped from the roof, nothing but a flash of orange and gray as he disappeared across the city.

Nagi stared after his passing, biting back the sudden tears burning in his eyes. "I think so too. God save us all."

§§§§§

_All Hallow's Eve 11:00 p.m._

"Ken! Don't be such a sissy! Get your ass down here!"

The dark haired assassin shook his head vehemently, sending a cascade of glitter to the floor. The gesture made him feel like he has some control, even though he knew Youji couldn't see him. "I think there's a law against this shit!"

Youji sighed, taking the cigarette from his darkly painted lips. He felt comfortable in the revealing clothing, skin tight shirt and pants he would have to peel off when he got home. Nightclubs such as the Clavicula Nox were his escape from the life he led and he reveled in the unbridled sexuality such a life presented.

Even though he had been told over and over that it was necessary for the mission, Ken was still fighting it. His urge to protect Omi in any way was finding it hard to fight against his discomfort with what was required of him.

The blonde assassin knew that Ken was much more comfortable in jeans and a T-shirt. The boy just didn't realize his own sexual potential. Youji knew that his teammate could be incredibly sexy...just the way he toweled himself off after a workout was enough to send Youji to his room for a little five-fingered therapy...

"Can we go now?"

Youji was startled from his daydream as Omi gave a low whistle. Ken blushed deeply, his cheeks coloring to match the red eye shadow that had been painted around his eyes. Red glitter had been applied liberally to his hair and cheeks, giving him an otherworldly aura. Even Aya turned his head and stared.

"Nani? Stop staring, dammit!"

Omi dutifully looked away, trying not to embarrass his friend further. Youji made no such motions as he studied the boy before him with burning jade eyes.

Since it was Halloween, the last chance Weiß would have to kill their targets before the dark coven found their final sacrifice, they were going to the club dressed to kill, letting Birman work her magic to make their two "victims" irresistible to the coven. Omi looked good in shades of silver and blue, but Ken...Ken was devastating.

Red was definitely Ken's color. They had found him a silk shirt of the deepest red, so near blood that Ken shuddered when he saw it. Birman forbid him to button the loose article more than three buttons from his navel, exposing his slim, hairless chest. His long legs had been encased in soft leather that flared slightly at his knees. His protests had been given into when they obtained a pair of black sneakers that finished the outfit without taking away any more of his agility.

Ken unabashedly adjusted the crotch of his pants, groaning in pain as he fought to find some measure of comfort in the leather that was practically second skin. The pants were tight enough to prevent his ability to have kids. "God, I can't even hide a knife on me. I may as well be naked."

Youji chuckled. "Yakusoku, yakusoku, bishounen." Ken's returning glare promised death for his teammate. "Aya and I will be carrying your weapons should you need them."

Aya moved forward, startling the uncomfortable boy. "Birman gave me this. Tracer."

Youji smiled as he watched Aya's careful movements. The redheaded leader placed a silver cross about Ken's neck, long fingers brushing the other boy's skin tenderly. Violet eyes stared intently into blue gray, hands resting for a long moment on Ken's shoulders. Youji cleared his throat noisily.

"Should we leave you two alone?"

The comment didn't help with Ken's embarrassment. If anything, he turned a shade to match his silk shirt and ducked away from Aya's touch. He left the room without looking back, heading down into the mission area. Aya looked almost hurt for a moment before glaring icily at Youji. The blonde assassin smiled sympathetically. As much as he enjoyed watching Ken and Aya deny the feelings that were obviously blossoming between them, they had a mission to complete.

Besides, if they out and admitted they liked each other, Youji wouldn't have half as much fun picking on them.

"Our very own Romeo and Juliet, ne, Omittchi?"

Omi frowned, giving his teammate a dubious look. "Ne, Youji-kun?"

Youji shook his head, taking a long drag from the cigarette in his mouth. He smiled gently. "Never mind, chibi. Never mind."

§§§§§

Aya gripped the wheel of his car angrily, not sure who he was madder at: himself for showing a moment of weakness in his struggle to hide his feelings from Ken or Youji for interrupting a perfect instant between him and the object of his affection.

The more he thought on it, the more it seemed likely that Youji was winning. And Aya hadn't liked the sympathetic look he had gotten from the blonde man. Perhaps he wasn't hiding his feelings as well as he thought he was.

Ken had hidden himself in the back of the car, begging Youji's long black duster off of him until they reached the club. He grumbled something about making Omi share some of his copious clothing, but it was only a token protest. He would rather that he was chosen as a victim if anyone had to be. Though Omi could be dangerous, Ken still thought of him as an otouto that needed looking after. Omi had a chance at some kind of life if they ever got out of Weiß; his future hadn't been steeped in blood.

The car ride was eerily quiet; even Youji had fallen into a funk. Ken clutched absently at the cross Aya had given him, his thoughts on the ethereal feelings that had haunted him for days. He tried to remember the warmth of Aya's touch, not nearly as cold as Ken had once thought it to be. The heated memories were constantly beaten away by the images from his dreams and a tense fear that he sensed in his teammates as well.

Everything had been building up to tonight. Whatever they were waiting for...tonight was the night

No one spoke as they pulled up to the club, staring at the crowd that had blocked most of the street in front of Clavicula Nox.

A line of teenagers had formed early in the evening and had quickly snaked itself down the block and around the corner, some spilling out into traffic. There were hundreds in costumes, to celebrate the American tradition of Halloween. Some of the figures were gruesome headed beasts that glistened in the moonlight. Others were just kids dressed in their usual gothic garb, pretending to be as dark and mysterious as the unnatural creatures that they wished to be.

Ken and Omi got out of the car, the dark haired assassin relinquishing his deathgrip on Youji's jacket. He couldn't even find the energy to speak to his teammates. It took all his concentration to fight past the sudden trepidation that threatened to paralyze his limbs.

A few whistles of approval drifted from the crowd as Ken tried to ignore the biting cold that penetrated his outfit as if he were naked. Aya and Youji stood just at his shoulder, leaning menacingly against the car.

Aya's heart was torn at the unfamiliar reluctance he saw in Ken. He wished he had been chosen for this mission, but even he found it hard to break past his cool exterior, even if someone's life depended on it. It was too firm a mask, too rooted in place to be acted away.

It was, after all, an act in itself.

Sensing the hesitation in the older boy, Omi smiled in encouragement and grabbed Ken's hand. Pulling his older teammate along, he walked up to the bouncer and winked, ignoring the cries of protest from the others that had waited hours in line. He handed the barrel-chested man a few particularly large yen bills and blew a kiss to the crowd as he was allowed inside, a reluctant Ken at his elbow.

With a last look of desperation over his shoulder, Ken disappeared into the darkness of the Clavicula Nox.

§§§§§

Yuki had shed her unconventional garments in favor of tight pleather pants and an emerald silk shirt that complimented her milky skin. Her dark hair was caught in silver clasps, pulling the silky mass away from her face. She stood watching the crowd at the railing, malignant smile on her painted lips.

Halloween was always the best night of the year. Not only because the veil between worlds was thinnest, but also because of the energy that filled the walls of the club, given off by the hapless children who had stumbled through her doors. That energy had been slowly siphoned off by Yuki and her coven for years, all in preparation for this night...the summoning of the Key.

"All mine for the taking, Wrash."

The waifish girl merely nodded. Her mind was already on the ceremony that was due to take place in less than an hour; finally, the Coven would no longer hide in the darkness, fending the advances of the humankind who feared and hunted them.

She looked up sharply as she felt Yuki stiffen beside her, pale hands wrapped painfully around the rail.

"Weiß..."

Wrash felt the boy before she saw him in the crowd, an incredibly stunning figure in red and black walking towards the bar. His body was surrounded by a stunning aura, pushing at Wrash's own consciousness.

A White warlock.

"Mistress?"

Yuki licked her lips seductively. The throb of power below her aroused her as nothing of the human world could. Together, Weiß was a match for the Coven, but alone...She cast her magic about the Club, sure that if one warlock were within her grasp, the others would not be far behind. Omi's aura burned on the dance floor, with two more on the building across the street. Still, they were too far to do anything should she choose to take the warlock

"Bring him to me."

Wrash did not hide her shock at her mistress' words. "Weiß? Mistress, I do not think..."

Yuki turned to her servant with a hiss and grabbed her hand in a crushing grip. "That is right. You do not think! The Weiß is alone. His companions are far from him. They are merely four. If we take him for the sacrifice...the Key would be ours for sure."

Wrash bit back her tears, nodding when her words failed her. The head witch looked out again over the crowd before turning. "Schwarz will be here soon." Yuki stalked back into the shadows, leaving her servant with a painful reminder.

::_Bring the Weiß to me.::_

§§§§§

Nagi relinquished his death grip on the door handle, trying to hold onto the faith that Schuldich couldn't be trying to kill them.

His companion had been acting strange all day, keeping mostly to himself. Crawford had merely raised an eyebrow when confronted by Nagi about the German, but told that Schuldich's mission was a vitally important to Aste. It was Schwarz's opportunity to make up for their part in the fall of the Triad.

Nagi winced as he recalled when Aste agents had dragged them from the ocean and sent them back to Rosenkreuz for 'reconditioning'. Schuldich and Crawford had borne the brunt of the punishment, taking responsibility for the younger Schwarz and the mad Irishman. Neither had been quite the same, but all ideas of going against Aste again had apparently been beaten out of them, or laid to rest for a time.

Now they were all headed to the Clavicula Nox where the deal with Yuki would be attempted again. He had gotten chills when Schuldich announced the need to return, his voice hollow and his eyes empty, as if it weren't his own choice to go.

Brad had merely nodded at the excuse and ordered the group to go. Farfarello was excited at the chance to escape from their house arrest, knives sharpened to incredible edges.

He commented to Nagi as they left the penthouse. "I miss playing with the Kittens, Nagi."

Nagi was unsure how to react the Irishman's words. They hadn't even discussed the possibility of Weiß surviving as they had; what had brought this up? Then again, Farfarello lived half in this world and half in another...sometimes he mirrored the talents of his team.

The young Schwarz was drawn to the present as Schuldich came to a screaming stop just in front of an alleyway. They exited the car without comment. Nagi could see the club just in back of them, a line of costumed people disappearing into the darkness beyond the glow of the neon sign.

Schuldich led the way through the back alley, stepping through the refuse. He opened a rusted door on the side of the building, heat and music pouring from the sudden opening. He didn't even glance back at his teammates as he entered, letting them follow.

Nagi inhaled sharply as he entered the thick air of the club. They were beneath a balcony, deep in the shadows of the club. The dance floor in front of them was filled with dancers, clothed in garish costumes. He had only a moment to observe them before they were moving again, the German taking sure steps into the darkest area.

After his eyes adjusted, the youngest Schwarz could make out a stair leading up to the balcony itself. It was steep and short; a dark wooden door was shut at its end. The door opened with little effort and Schuldich stepped through to a dimly lit area.

Words drifted down to him, the voice making his heart turn cold.

"Schuldich. How nice to see you again."

§§§§§

Ken perched uncomfortably on the padded stool, keeping himself half turned towards the dance floor. Omi was sidling easily through the crush of bodies, his cheeks flushed as he endured the hungry stares. He gave Ken a quick thumbs up before disappearing completely, his only contact with his teammate through their tiny earpieces.

There was a startling thunk at Ken's elbow as the bartender set down a thick glass with a clear liquid in it. The unconstumed man smiled in apology and nodded down the bar.

"With her complements."

Ken stared in the indicated direction, half scared and half relieved as he recognized the girl from the tape and Aya's brief on their previous infiltration. Yuki's personal assistant.

If she was interested in him...perhaps she was the one who chose the victims, rather than Yuki. If he could hold her attention, he could find out what was going on and prevent Yuki from committing another atrocity.

He nodded in apology and took a sip of the mysterious liquid. He was no stranger to liquor, hell, Youji wasn't the only one who took to the bottle to forget. Still, the sweet taste surprised him. The drink went down easily. It occurred to him that it was drugged, but they had prepared for that instance as well. That was what the tracer on his necklace was for. He hated to be helpless but he would do what he must for the mission.

Ken was so intent upon the drink that he hadn't even seen Wrash move so that she now sat at his elbow. He could feel his cheeks warming as the liquid moved through his system. He was sure it was drugged now as the pale face before him fuzzed in and out of focus.

"Hello, handsome," Wrash began, smiling at the idiotic grin on Ken's face. She couldn't help but sigh at his beauty. It was always a shame when Weiß had to be killed. They were all stunning creatures.

Ken lurched forward, as if he were falling from the stool. Wrash caught him carefully, but didn't catch his hand dropping into her coat pocket. Even in his drugged state, Ken wanted to make sure that they would be able to track the coven, just in case they did not take the bait. It pained him to lose Aya's gift this way, but again, he would do what needed to be done.

He was hardly aware of Wrash's voice as she distracted him with small talk, waiting patiently for the drug to completely incapacitate the beautiful assassin. Ken could barely keep his eyes open and he put his head on his arms. Within moments, he was deeply asleep.

§§§§§

Yuki smiled coldly as she sensed the presence. It thought it had entered undetected, but it was not aware of the magic it exuded; an aura that only witches and warlocks could sense. The Schwarz did not remember his earlier experience with the mistress, nor the hidden suggestion to return later with his team; she had bound his soul to her own, tracking Aste's movements through their unsuspecting lackey.

"Schuldich. How nice to see you again."

"Yuki...m...mistress?" The German started in surprise as the words passed his lips, fighting the urge to bow before the witch whom stood before him. Nagi regarded his companion with surprised eyes, his earlier unease returning with a vengeance as he noticed Schuldich's physical struggle.

"Schuldich. Please invite the rest of Schwarz into my chamber."

Crawford grunted slightly as he climbed the stairs entering the room with Farfarello on his heels. Nagi trailed a bit, something inside him screaming in warning.

Yuki's dark eyes widened slightly as she took in Nagi's presence, lips curling in hatred. "You."

Nagi staggered at the vehemence behind the single word. His instincts kicked in, every fiber of his being screaming for him to run away, but his body refused to obey.

_::Her eyes stole his will, her unspoken spell breaking down his carefully erected barriers. He was the only one this time...the only soul to be thrown into the physical world, alone in his responsibility...::_

Yuki hissed as she saw the momentary recognition in his eyes. She gestured sharply, trapping his body within bonds of magic. Schuldich drew back in horror as Nagi stiffened unnaturally, falling to the floor with a painful thud. Yuki's pale body began to glow with cold fired, eyes ashen red as she twisted the spell about Nagi's body.

Nagi found his vocal chords frozen as he tried to scream in agony; whatever was holding him felt like acid against his skin. As sudden as it came, the pain was gone, leaving him limp and gasping on the floor. Crawford knelt beside him with a confused Schuldich standing at his shoulder. Yuki had disappeared.

_But not for long,_ Nagi thought, allowing himself to drift into unconsciousness.

§§§§§

Aya started sharply, hissing in sudden pain. Beside him, Youji fell to the rooftop, momentarily paralyzed. When the episode had passed, they looked at each other for a short moment before breaking for the stairs.

They didn't know what in the hell had just happened, but they knew it meant trouble.

§§§§§

Omi jumped back from his dance partner, crying out in agony. His skin felt like it was burning.

The people around him stared in wonder as he took off to the bar, suddenly sure that his friends were in terrible danger.

§§§§§

With a bang of displaced air, the head witch appeared just behind her servant at the bar. Yuki grabbed Wrash's arm, yanking the girl from the stool.

"Our plans have changed. We can no longer hope to take this one."

Wrash took one last glance back at the drugged Ken, his head resting on his folded arms on the bar. "Why"

"I have seen the fifth soul of Weiß. If they should meet before we have summoned the Key, all will be undone and we will be cast into the Nether until our next incarnations." Yuki hissed in anger. She cursed her foolishness for believing that she could hope to take a soul of Weiß. Still, all was not lost. The others of her coven had recovered a young boy who would serve their purposes nicely.

With a sharp gesture, the bartender nodded and opened a secret door behind the bar. Wrash followed her mistress into the dark, looking back with wistful eyes at the sleeping bishounen. 


	4. Four::Memoriam

Clavicula Nox  
Four:: Memoriam

§§§§§

_::Ken sighed as the power flowed into him, healing the wounds left by the daemon's claws. The skin itched as the cells reformed almost instantly, leaving nothing but health pink skin. At least they weren't poisoned..._

_Aya's head rested in his hands, his violet eyes achingly exhausted. It was tiresome waiting for death, knowing that when it came, it was only a matter of time before it happened again...and again..._

_He smiled ruefully. He didn't think people realized that one could get tired of dying...especially when the memory of death was ingrained into your very soul._

_"What's so funny?"_

_Ken had a pretty good idea what Aya had been thinking. Their connection made it hard to hide anything from each other, thoughts or feelings. Still, it was nice to ask, and to have human conversation instead of the intimate mental contact._

_Aya's humor faded. "This is it. Our last lifetime. Next will be the Summoning. "_

_Ken understood his companion's sadness. "We will all be together again. Just like Youji promised."_

_Aya sighed. "Hai. Together again..."::_

It wasn't a slow fight to regain consciousness. It was a startling wake up call.

Ken nearly fell from the barstool as he threw himself from the memory, crying out in pain as his head reeled from the truth that now flooded it.

_He remembered._

Every lifetime came back with crystal clarity, every death he had gone through, every lover he had shared...the magic, the power needed to stop Yuki...it was his again.

Images of his teammates flashed through his mind's eye: Aya as he faced down an army of daemons with the shattered katana that had been his father's...Omi smiling as he and Youji exchanged vows just before their last night on Earth...Youji sobbing with loss as his companions were taken one by one, leaving him to face Yuki's daemons alone...Nagi sacrificing himself so that the others could destroy the dark coven's terrible plans

A thousand years worth of life...of memories. His again.

The others' voices sounded far away as the memories abated, leaving Ken drained and at the same time, more powerful than he had ever been before. His entire body fairly hummed with invisible power. Ancient spells filled his mind, the words so old that they were lost to Man.

The terrible fear that had been nagging at the back of his mind clarified. Even though his memories had been dampened, his body still tried to warn him. The Summoning. The Key of Night.

Standing quickly, he tripped over the stool. Aya was at his side, holding him upright as he fought to control his shivering. His skin burned as he became conscious of the other assassin's presence, Aya's long dormant power meshing tightly with Ken's own aura.

Ken hissed and pulled away, his senses still raw from the awakening. It was an instinctive move, make himself more powerful by joining with his coven...but it would be wrong to do so until the others had recovered their own memories.

Ken looked with hard eyes at the bartender, silently willing him to open the secret door. The man did as he was bid, his eyes blank and his movements wooden. There was no time to notice the change that had come over their teammate and the other three assassins could only follow in shock as their dark haired companion disappeared into the dark tunnel beyond.

Youji closed the door firmly behind them, catching Omi's look of apprehension just before the black surrounded them. They heard Ken whisper something and suddenly they were in the center of a small globe of reddish illumination. It appeared as a small circle of flame that floated at eye level. The other three gaped in shock, but Ken did not offer an explanation as he went forward, leaving his team to catch up.

Even Youji was having trouble keeping pace. Omi had lagged behind and his breathing was short. Still, they couldn't have much further to go. Even Youji could sense that.

His mind swirled with hundreds of questions, many centered on the globe of light that dashed in front of Ken.

Things had gone straight to Hell in a relatively short period of time. First, Ken should be a walking zombie now, drugged to the gills, not running as if his life depended on it. Second, why were these events so eerily familiar to him?

Lost in his thoughts, Youji nearly knocked Omi over as they came to the end of the tunnel. A solid metal door crusted black with rust sat slightly ajar, as if whoever had gone through didn't expect to be followed.

_Or isn't afraid to be followed._

Youji heard a rustle of leather as Aya drew Ken's bugnuks from beneath his long coat. To their surprise, the dark haired boy didn't even look at the proffered weapons, his eyes locked on the door. Youji gave Omi a weak smile as the youngest assassin drew three darts.

_::It begins again...::_

The tall assassin winced slightly and touched Omi's shoulder as he caught the same flash of pain in his eyes. Omi had just heard the same voice; the blonde was sure of it. He was also sure that Aya had had the same words echo through his head as well, even though he gave no outward sign.

_What the hell is going on?_

The time for questions had gone. Ken was through the door in a heartbeat and his team couldn't help but follow.

§§§§§

Crawford glanced in the rearview mirror, meeting Schuldich's glaring blue eyes. Nagi's head rested in his lap, dark hair spilling across his cream slacks. He moaned slightly, as if plagued by a dream.

_::What are you seeing?::_

_::I was unable to see Yuki.::_

Schuldich could feel the anger and guilt radiating from the American. His powers had been blocked; he hadn't seen the danger to Schuldich or his team. It disturbed him when his powers failed, even when it obviously wasn't his fault.

Schuldich snorted audibly. _::That wasn't what I asked.::_

Crawford sighed mentally, hard eyes turning back to the road. _::Nagi.::_

The German did not hide his surprise. _::Nagi? Why in Hell would you see Nagi?::_

The American's answer was cold. _::Watch him.::_

Schuldich could get no more from the stoic man, resigned instead to waking Nagi with not-so gentle mental nudges. The boy stirred and opened his dark eyes slowly, face creased in confusion.

He sat up and stared out the window, trying to make sense of what had happened. Schuldich filled him in telepathically, concealing Crawford's vision. The American hadn't given details; Schuldich wasn't going to draw conclusions.

The car drew to a stop just in front of a warehouse, the windows boarded or broken. Schuldich automatically scanned for life, grimacing as he came against the dark wall of Yuki's powerful psyche. "They are here. So is Weiß."

Crawford's reply was terse. "I know. Get out."

_::Asshole.::_

Crawford's mind was closed as usual and the German's venom was wasted. Instead he prodded the small Schwarz into standing somewhat unsteadily outside the car.

It was nearing midnight and the October winds were bitingly cold. The moon was brilliant against the dark sky, drowning out the stars about it. Schuldich's mind filled with old faerie tales of the dark magics that took place on nights such as these.

_Not just legends anymore..._

Without a word, Schuldich disappeared into the darkened building before them, his speed allowing him to scout undetected. Nagi watched after him, eyes haunted.

Leaning back against the hood of the car, Crawford narrowed his eyes at the dark haired youth. Nagi ignored the look, keeping his mind on the confrontation at hand. The American would either keep his knowledge to himself, as he always did, or he would share with the rest of them when the time came.

It was an ill coincidence that Weiß had targeted the dark coven. Aste had given strict orders that the witches were to be brought into the SZ, no matter what the cost. A small smile tilted Nagi's pale lips. Weiß probably didn't even believe that the witches were real, even after everything they had gone through with the Triad.

He also believed that Aste had no idea what they were stepping into. Nagi had touched Yuki's evil at the Clavicula Nox. Her darkness was more than Aste could imagine. He had only had a taste of what she could do...and she was more powerful than any other member of Aste or Rosenkreuz and more deadly than anyone suspected.

§§§§§

The warehouse was almost too dark to navigate and Weiß found it hard to find their way through the twists of empty crates and strewn rubble. Ken had extinguished his curious light so their position would not be given away.

The crates gave way to a circle of candlelight, the staging area for Yuki's sacrifice. In the center of the area was a stone altar crusted with old blood and an unconscious figure lay on it, his shirt torn open to expose his pale chest.

The waifish girl Wrash, her incredibly thin form buried within her dark robe, held a glittering object out to Yuki, who took it with maniacal glee. The witches stood in waiting as Yuki raised the sacrificial knife with an inarticulate cry. In a deadly sweep, she brought the blade down and into the boy's heart.

Ken bit back his cry of horror and looked back at his teammates. Aya's eyes had become shards of amethyst and his hand flexed around the hilt of his drawn katana. Youji and Omi were equally stunned, the youngest assassin looking ill.

Without speaking, Ken gestured to Omi and Youji, then to the balcony on either side of the open area. They nodded and melted back into the darkness. Aya looked at Ken questioningly as his companion stepped from cover to the nearest edge of the circle. The red head fell back deeper into the shadows, trusting Ken's actions but waiting silently for his chance to grab the dark haired boy and run from this chamber of horror.

A huge pentagram had been drawn on the hard concrete floor. Just before it, Ken sensed another preventative ward that would keep unwanted warlocks from interfering with the ceremony.

Ken lowered his head, turning away from the carnage before him. They were too late to save the young victim; the gurgling cries still echoed throughout the warehouse. The head witch began chanting, her words hard and painful to hear. His own magic flared in response, a shocking blue aura shielding his body from the draining spell that was being cast to consume the life energy of the dead boy.

"Dark horizons come close to me and magic will be my key!"

The words were low and guttural, nearly lost beneath the terrible crackling lances of blue magic that flared between the pale figures of the coven. Ken could see a black tear forming just above the desecrated body.

A door to Hell. A few more moments and Yuki would be able to pull the Key through the void

Yuki continued the spell. "I will travel trough the gate to be the finder of my fate!"

Ken stepped forward just enough for his magic to trigger the ward around the sacrificial circle.

The spell was interrupted and the witch hissed as she sensed Ken's form. "Hidaka!" The other witches began to talk excitedly, turning to each other in wonder. Aya's violet eyes narrowed, his mind still trying frantically to find a way to save Ken from the dark coven.

They knew his name. The head witch looked up and scanned the shadows, as if she knew the other members of Weiß would not be far from their teammate.

"White Coven! We know you are there! Show yourselves!"

Aya heard Omi's gasp in the comm. "How do they know?" He had drawn back from his perch on the balcony, certain he had not been seen.

"Should we answer them?" was Youji's terse response.

Aya shook his head. "No. They are guessing."

Weiß could not afford to give themselves away just yet. They still had to rescue Ken and escape from this nightmare in one piece.

Ken stepped forward again, fighting the force of the ward. Yuki smiled as she realized that it was Ken alone who confronted her.

"I did not realize my drug would awaken your memories so quickly." A quick shock through the ward made Ken fall to one knee. "No matter. You are alone in this life, Weiß, and you are not enough to stop me."

Ken cringed as she continued the spell, cursing his inability to break the ward without causing himself serious injury. His interruption hadn't been long enough. Yuki would complete the spell at the witching hour and he would be unable to stop her.

"Nox, the night and key." Yuki's voice rose as a wind tore through the warehouse, drawn into the unnatural void that had been rent in the fabric of the universe. "I will open your old mystery...

"Key of Night! Open up!"

With these words the unnatural tear surged with white energy. Yuki raised the object in her hand, metal glinting in the unholy light. She would trap the Key of Night within the object, hers to use to her own terrible ends.

Midnight came with a palpable presence and the world dissolved into white.

Schuldich stood hidden just behind Omi's careful position, too shocked to even take advantage of his opportunity and take care of the youth while he had the chance.

The victim's dying screams still echoed in the German's head, thoughts that had invaded his shields with their force. Seeing someone's death was one thing but suffering it as they suffered it...Early experience at Rosenkreuz had taught Schuldich not to be in someone's mind when they died. The desperation to cling to life was strong enough to overpower even the most experienced telepath.

_::Crawford. Yuki has begun her spell.::_

The response was thoughtful. _::What is Weiß doing?::_

_::Nothing right now. Wait...::_

Schuldich watched in fascination as Ken Hidaka stepped into the circle of candlelight, grabbing Yuki's attention from her spell. He couldn't hear the exchange but sensed the surge of power that followed.

He wasn't even conscious as he was hurled backwards and through the remains of a large glass window, falling almost gracefully to the street below.

§§§§§

The rift above the altar had phased from black to intense white. Time was gone. Ken had only once choice left.

Ken screamed and ran against the ward until he broke the outer edge of the massive pentagram. It was like stepping into a wall of electricity. His body convulsed as wave after wave of intense pain flooded through his body, his limbs snapping back unnaturally. His mouth was frozen in a silent scream, his eyes wide with shock.

§§§§§

"Ken!"

Aya screamed the name as he felt an echo of the agony that ripped through Ken's body. His hands convulsed and his katana fell to the floor. Dimly, he could sense Youji and Omi suffering the same pain, their bodies doubled with pain. He couldn't see Ken in the white light that had surged from the lines of the pentagram.

The witches were screaming as well. Whatever Ken had done had thrown their spell out of whack. No one knew what was happening.

§§§§§

_This is the white of death. Endlessly clear white..._

Ken couldn't form a coherent thought as his body was ravaged by the protective magic of the pentagram. He could smell burned flesh and hair, even as he fought his way forward. His legs threatened to spasm from beneath him and every step was torture.

He was surprised as he came into contact with soft human flesh. The cry of dismay that followed identified Yuki as she attempted to thrust the Key's vessel into the light of the rift.

Ken wrapped his strong hands around the object, wincing as his palms were singed by the power. Angered into madness, Yuki tore at his grip, pushing him away with surprising strength.

Unable to stop himself, Ken fell back...and into the white Void.

§§§§§

Aya screamed with Ken's agony. The connection was abruptly severed with what Aya hoped was merely Ken's unconsciousness. He dashed from his hiding place, watching as Youji and Omi dropped from the balcony to the center of the circle. The terrible light had vanished after the last feeling of pain from Ken and Yuki was now standing over the dark haired assassin's still body, kicking it with rage.

"Shine!" was Aya's cry as he charged at the witch with his blade. She jumped backwards with surprising grace...and was instantly buried as the roof and part of the balcony came crashing to the floor with a resounding scream of wood and twisted metal. Wrash screamed with misery as her mistress was buried only to be caught herself beneath more of the warehouse as it continued its slow collapse.

The entire building echoed with the groaning of the structures as it fought to resist the effects of the magic. It succumbed and soon the roof was raining down on the coven and assassins alike.

The red headed boy didn't hesitate as he slung Ken over his shoulder, running for the nearest exit; a large ground level window with most of the panes broken. Youji was ahead of him, diving through with his shoulder first. Omi and Aya followed just as the entire building collapsed behind them with enough force to throw them to the ground.

Youji stood first, dusting his leather jacket in disgust. They were all covered with at least an inch of dust and looked like they'd just run gauntlet through a war zone.

The blonde sighed dramatically and swept his hair back with a dusty hand. "I need a new job."

::yuki's spell is actually lyrics from 'clavicula nox' by therion. thanks to tschubi-chan for sending them to me!:: 


	5. Five::What We Have Been

Clavicula Nox  
Five:: What We Have Been

§§§§§

_Darkness..._

It was strange in the darkness, with no way to tell which way was up. There were no sensations of touch or hearing either; it was total deprivation. The boy knew that he should be fighting to find a way back...

_To where?_

_::We are one...::_

_::We?::_

The voice was warm, but strangely inhuman. It felt like a pleasant whisper in the boy's mind.

_::We are one::_

This time the phrase was tinged with uncertainty. The warmth of the voice spread throughout the boy's body, a gentle presence slipping through his mind and memories as if it had always been a part of him.

_The blood haired leader screaming into the darkness with two figures at his back. "Ken! back to me!"_

No, not memories. What was beyond the darkness, in the world of light.

_I am Hidaka Ken. Weiß. The Key._

The voice he recognized as his own, the strange presence within him fading away and melding with his own psyche. He began to fight through the darkness, struggling to recall Aya's desperate plea.

_"Come back to me!"_

There, a light cleaving the darkness, leading Ken back to the boy he loved, to the family he had left behind.

The strange presence made itself known as Ken reached the edge of his mind, the other giving the strange sensation of standing just behind him. The assassin knew that he should somehow be terrified and yet he was strangely comforted by the other personality.

_::We are the Key...::_ was their final thought before diving into consciousness.

§§§§§

Crawford stood as the dust settled onto the hood of the car, the other two members of Schwarz standing uncertainly to either side. The American had moved to the opposite side of the car just before the building collapsed, and Nagi and Farfarello had been quick to follow.

Nagi gaped at the destruction, shocked to see that the building had been leveled and sick with the knowledge that Schuldich had been inside...

The American gestured to Nagi. "Schuldich is on the north side of the building. You will find him shaken but relatively unharmed. And tell him I said to stop his bitching."

Nagi hid his relief as he followed Crawford's order, unaware of the look that was aimed at his back. The mad Irishman frowned as the young telekinetic disappeared into the rubble, arching a questioning eyebrow at the stoic American.

"Do not ask, Farfarello. The future I have foreseen is nearly at hand."

The madman merely shrugged and kept close to Crawford's back as the gray suited man navigated the remains of wood and metal, obviously searching for something. He stopped in the direct center of the wreckage, taking a moment to push his glasses up on his nose.

"Dig."

§§§§§

Schuldich pulled himself from the pile of garbage that had saved his life, hands gripping his head. His red hair was pale with dust and dried blood marked his hands and face. _Thank Gott for small favors..._

His head throbbed in time with his heart, still sensitive from the psychic whiplash that had sent him flying out the window. He was afraid to even try his powers. He'd probably have an aneurysm.

"Schuldich! Daijoubu?"

Nagi dropped to his knees beside the still groggy telepath, gently propping the other boy into a kneeling position. The telepath seemed almost startled at Nagi's appearance.

"What are you doing here?"

Nagi smiled slightly, his face flushed with relief at finding his teammate in one piece. "Crawford told me to tell you to stop your bitching."

"He would. Help me out of this fucking mess, will ya?"

§§§§§

Youji held Omi as the boy sobbed into his chest. Aya was eerily silent, his face drawn with grief as his pleas for Ken to open his eyes went unanswered. The dark haired assassin lay in Aya's lap, his pale face smudged with dust. He was dangerously still, but they dared not move him.

_C'mon, Ken. Come back to us._

The tall assassin started sharply as his mental words seemed to work. The boy in Aya's arms stirred slowly, his blue green eyes blinking in confusion. The movement broke through Aya's tragic shell and he nearly smiled.

"Ken."

Siberian smiled weakly as he gathered his wits about him. He was struck with a disconcerting feeling of being watched but quickly pushed the feeling aside. He had a theory about what had happened to him, but he would need more time to figure out what to do about it.

With Aya's help, he reached his feet, swaying slightly. Unconsciously, he began to pull natural magic into his body, beginning the arduous process of healing himself. His body had nearly been drained when it fell into the white void; he was lucky to be alive.

He stood straighter, his arm still looped comfortably around Aya's shoulders. His skin tingled with the contact and he was unwilling to let go so soon. He gazed at his team with new eyes...a thousand years worth of memories gave him a different perspective of the boys he had come to call brothers.

"Let's go home."

§§§§§

Farfarello took to digging through the rubble with his usual enthusiasm; as if he would reach his goal of causing God pain if he unearthed the body of the witch, Yuki.

Crawford stood well out the path of the debris that was being thrown by the madman, sure that the silver haired boy was taking some perverse pleasure from digging through the mess. He knew it was only a matter of moments

"Oi, Crawford. I've found somethin'."

The pre-cog peered into the small pocket the madman had unearthed, nodding as he saw the pale legs under a particularly large piece of rubble.

"Pull her out. Carefully," he admonished, curbing Farfarello's urge to yank the body from its resting place and cause more damage.

With gentle hands, the Irishman pulled the woman from the wreckage, not even phased by her near nudity. The black robe hung about her stick like frame in tatters, leaving almost nothing to imagination. Farfarello snorted as he pulled her out, amber eye looking to his leader.

"She's the girl. The skinny one."

Crawford nodded but did not move. His patience was rewarded a moment later as the figure stirred, moaning in pain.

"Where..."

Crawford knelt beside her. "Do not move. You are lucky to be alive."

His eyes narrowed as the girl opened her eyes, surprise at her rescuer evident. "Well, now...it seems as if you are in our debt.

"Yuki."

§§§§§

Leaning on the younger boy for support, Schuldich made it into an unstable standing position. Nagi bore the weight without comment; he was too relieved to see the red head alive to care.

He was unashamed of the fact that he cared for his team, though Aste frowned on emotion of any kind. Attachment made you weak and sloppy. He had often believed this to be Weiß's weakness until he had seen them in action.

He was sure then. Schwarz was not an ordinary group. They were connected beyond their powers.

Schuldich sighed and stood straight, dusting off his jacket. He was looking to his left when he stopped mid-motion. Nagi caught his movement and followed his gaze.

The four boys...

"I'll get them."

"Nagi...Dammit!" The German cursed as the boy slipped from his grasp and jogged after the retreating figures of Weiß. This was the moment Crawford meant when he warned Schuldich to watch the young Schwarz. It was a chilling certainty and one the telepath had hoped not to face. He hobbled as quickly as he could, too bruised to use his unnatural speed.

_Of all the times you've been wrong, Crawford...I pray this is one of them..._

§§§§§

They were nearly to the mouth of an alley when Nagi caught up to the group as they struggled their way from the scene.

"Stop!"

He reinforced his words with a mental wall that blocked Weiß's passage...and was surprised as the four beaten boys walked right through.

With an angry hiss he levitated himself up and over the group, standing menacingly before them.

Nagi felt himself go still with shock as he took in the pale faces of the Weiß team. They looked like they'd been to Hell and back. All four boys were covered with dust and bruises, their clothing was torn and singed.

_What in the hell happened in there?  
_  
"You will move."

The redhead's voice left no room for protest. Nagi felt himself fighting to obey the order, even if it meant that Weiß got away.

What was wrong with him? Why did seeing them so torn and bloodied bother him so?

"Nagi."

Nagi's clear eyes came to rest on the exhausted gray of Hidaka Ken, the other boy's arms wrapped around Aya's neck. He seemed to have taken the worst beating of all, his clothing shredded and charred, his skin pink with what looked like a slight burn.

But looking into those eyes, Nagi was suddenly sure that what looked back wasn't human.

"You are one of us...Nagi."

The truth of the words hit the telekinetic like a physical wall. He felt something tickling at the edge of his consciousness, like Schuldich was digging around in his mind and not being subtle about the invasion. Memories rose to the surface...

_::Nagi fought next to the young boy, Omi, powers pushing at the dark forms that threatened to overwhelm them. He knew they were going to die._

_Omi cursed and shouted his spell, fire erupting at the feet of the creatures working their way through Nagi's natural barrier._

_"We have failed."_

_"Hai."_

_Nagi screamed in pain as his shield failed, and the unnatural creatures swarmed about his body, consuming his flesh...::_

"NO!!!"

Even Aya winced at the heart wrenching scream and watched helplessly as the telekinetic fell to his knees, tears streaming freely down his cheeks. Ken said nothing and turned away, blue gray eyes resigned.

Omi caught his arm. "What about..."

Ken shrugged from his grip. "Until we have our memories back...we will be nothing but White and Black. He must decide where he belongs in this life."

The telekinetic looked up sharply at Ken's words, hearing the age and wisdom behind them. Because of his extraordinary powers, Nagi was already awakening to the magic, but it was incomplete...his memories were warring with lifetimes past and his life in the present. He was torn between the two.

Nagi watched the four boys limp away from the alley and stood slowly, heart torn with indecision. He turned quickly, his foot lifted, fully intent on making him follow them and the strange memories they had called to the surface.

He was still standing there minutes later when sudden fire erupted across his shoulders. He turned in shock, staggering with the pain.

Schuldich stood there, the gun in his hand shaking slightly. His mouth was set in a grim line and Nagi could see the beginnings of tears in his eyes.

"Crawford knew...he knew you would betray us."

Nagi fell hard to his knees, head falling to his chest. "Schuldich...you don't...don't understand..."

"Urusai!"

The German fired the gun again, the shot ringing off the pavement to Nagi's left. "We saved you from Rosenkreuz, made you one of us..."

Nagi didn't have the strength to cry for the pain he heard in Schuldich's voice. The telepath tried his damnedest to act like a heartless bastard, but somewhere along the line...he had begun to give a shit about his teammates.

His heart had quailed when Crawford had told him to keep an eye on Nagi. At first he hadn't thought that Nagi had the guts to leave Schwarz, to turn his back on the only people who had ever cared about him.

Apparently, Nagi had a pair of cajones that Schuldich hadn't been aware of.

Nagi knew the rules. No one ever left Aste alive. His powers and knowledge made him far too dangerous. Now it was up to Schuldich to carry it out.

His finger trembled on the trigger. The boy didn't even look up at his former teammate as the steel barrel was leveled at his head. _Just do it!_

Schuldich screamed in rage and threw the gun at the wall. He pulled at his hair, fighting to keep himself from curling into a simpering ball. "Damn you, Nagi! Damn you all!!" In a flicker of green he was gone, his last curse echoing hollowly in Nagi's heart.

The boy trembled as he was overcome with pain. He took a deep breath, his back protesting. His clothing was sticky with blood and spots danced before his vision. "Schuldich...'niisan..."

The whisper was lost in the night and Nagi gave into unconsciousness.

§§§§§

Ken gasped in pain, his back arching as if he'd been shot. Aya turned him frantically, looking for new wound, Youji and Omi scanning the rooftops for possible snipers.

Ken levered himself out of Aya's grasp, kneeling on the ground, crying in pain. "Nagi..."

Aya moved to touch Ken's shoulder when the other boy's head snapped up and his body stiffened. His arms whipped out to the sides, hands grasping for Aya's own. "Your hands! Quickly!"

Omi was the first to reach his friend, his hand caught in Ken's terrified grip. He gasped in pain as his hand was nearly crushed and fire lanced through his arm. His body seemed to swell with power, making his vision blur. He could see Aya taking Ken's other hand and the red head biting his lip to prevent his own cry. Omi stared in wonder as Aya's eyes began to glow, pale violet joining the blue gray of Ken.

_Do my eyes look like that?  
_  
Youji was the last to join the circle, hands just inches from Omi and Aya's. Ken looked at his wary teammate, his face pale and drawn with agony. "Please, Youji. He needs us."

There was no more hesitation as the circle was joined and the power flooded through the four assassins.

A tunnel of wind surrounded the youths, stealing their breath. Only Ken seemed unaffected as he began chanting in a language that was unknown and yet familiar in a way that terrified him. He could see the lines of magic in the air, arcs of green and silver that wove about them. When spell was complete, he spoke the command to invoke the natural swell he had summoned.

"Take us to Nagi!"

_::They were lying on the crest of the hill, Omi kneeling on the ground with a nearly dead Aya in his arms. Ken and Youji bent over the red head, their hands slick with their leader's blood. Nagi knelt at his feet, chanting a spell of staying, trying to keep Aya's spirit from leaving his body._

"Don't. You will need your strength." Aya's voice was less than a whisper and still it carried the remnants of his powerful personality.

Nagi cut the spell with a sob, arms curling about his own injured ribs. He looked with concerned eyes at his lover, Ken, watching as the dark haired boy favored his left arm, the limb pierced through by a witch's arrow.

He, too, was dying.

Omi was inconsolable as his lover lay on his knees, red blood soaking into the once holy ground beneath him. Youji bowed his head and kissed Aya's lips, whispering into his ear. The dying boy nodded imperceptibly and his eyes closed for the last time.

Before Omi could even register that Aya had passed on, Youji spoke, his words harsh. "We have stopped the Summoning, but tonight we will die. We will be together again, my brothers. You have my word on that."

They stood then, drying the tears they had shed for their fallen leader. Nagi looked over his shoulder as he heard the cry of wolves announcing the approach of the dark coven survivors and their daemons.

With a cry, the remaining warlocks charged down the hill and into Fate.::

The four assassins appeared with a slam of air, their shaken and surprised forms standing around Nagi's bleeding body. Omi gasped and tried to break the circle, but Ken's hand held firm.

"Break the circle and the magic will consume us!"

Aya may not have believed what was going on but he understood what Ken was saying. He saw the wild look in Youji's green eyes and held the blonde tighter. Youji growled in frustration and glared at Ken.

"What the fuck was that, Ken? I just felt myself fucking die!"

Ken closed his eyes as he prepared to warp the spell that had brought them here. "Memories, Youji. Memories...from our past lives" He knelt, dragging the rest of them down with him. His heart quailed when he saw how pale Nagi was. What if they were too late? Their coven would be separated yet again and the darkness...Aste...

He cleared his mind as the worry threatened to take over. He glanced at Omi. _::Move your hand to my shoulder. I must touch Nagi.::  
_  
The boy nodded and moved his hand from Ken's to his shoulder, not losing contact. The spell was awakening old instincts and Omi could sense that losing contact with Ken at this point could be deadly for his teammate.

Ken placed his hand over the wound in Nagi's back, drawing the lines of the transport spell back into his own body and through the others in the circle. Words came to his mind unbidden and he projected them into the minds of his friends. Their strength would be needed to pull the boy back from the brink of death.

"Take what is mine, I give it to you freely."

The others started in shock before they began to repeat the phrase themselves, twice more. The words changed the power within them and it channeled from their bodies in a surge of uncomfortable warmth.

Aya blinked in confusion as the power was drained from his body, making him feeling naked and helpless. Youji and Omi hissed as the magic whipped around the circle, building through each of them until it resided solely in Ken's body.

Ken began screaming in pain as the magic threatened to tear his body apart. He shouted one last time, forcing the healing power into Nagi's wound. "Take what is ours, we give it to you freely!"

A blinding flash threw them back from Nagi's unconscious form. Ken hit the alley wall with a sickening thud and was still. Aya rushed forward to help him when the spell took hold, and tossed him back again. White light flared around the telekinetic, creeping under his skin until he seemed to glow with the power. His body twitched slightly and Aya could see the magic as it caused the skin of the wound to stitch back together, drawing muscle and veins back to their natural state.

The light flared again briefly before winking out above the newly healed body of Naoe Nagi.

Aya was too stunned to move, his limbs suddenly heavy. He watched Omi and Youji pulled themselves from the garbage in the alley, the lanky blonde sweeping refuse from his leather duster. Omi had enough energy to rush to Ken's side. He turned his teammate over, wincing at the new gash on Ken's forehead.

"Let me."

Omi looked up at the voice in shock as he realized that it was Nagi standing over him. The boy Schwarz looked refreshed, his bloody clothes the only evidence he had been injured in the first place. Aya was walking up behind him, staggering slightly.

"Don't touch him."

Nagi didn't acknowledge Aya's words. He touched Ken's cheek with delicate fingers, tracing along the wound in his head. "Take what is mine, I return it freely." Omi stared in wonder as the skin knit back together, leaving nothing but a shiny trail of blood. Some of Nagi's energy faded and the boy slumped slightly. He gave Omi a weak smile.

"He gave too much of himself in the spell. He nearly killed us all."

Ken stirred slightly, his blue gray eyes blinking in confusion. Omi clutched the dark haired assassin to his chest, sobbing in relief. Nagi stepped back as the other two knelt beside their fallen teammate, touching the boy hesitantly as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing.

After a long moment, Youji spoke, a strange smile on his lips. "Together again. Just like I promised." 


	6. Six::What We Are

Clavicula Nox  
Six:: What We Are

§§§§§

_::Aya brushed his long fingers against Ken's cheek, smiling with blood-flecked lips. He gave a last sigh before falling back into his lover's strong arms...::_

Ken awoke with a choked gasp, finding himself tangled inescapably within his sweat soaked sheets. The memories attacked during the one moment he had had to sleep, violent visions of every terrible death he or the others had suffered.

With careful movements, the assassin freed himself from his cloth bonds, groaning with every muscle that protested. What he had done was foolish...he grasped a lot of magic with very little skill. The price was extolled heavily on his battered body.

He sat on the edge of his bed, wincing at the slats of sunlight that fell on his tired eyes. The sun was low in the sky, a few hours from sunset at most. Ken had slept away almost an entire day and didn't have the energy to show for it.

A hesitant knock at the door brought him slowly to his feet. With the way his body threatening to collapse on itself, he knew he should probably go back to bed.

He didn't need to answer the door or hear the questioning "Ken-kun?" to know that it was Omi standing worriedly outside his room.

Just as Ken could feel the magic of the world, touch and twist it to his will, he could feel the very essence that was Omi: a bright warmth in a world beyond sight. The young assassin was very pleasing to sense, and gave off energy like a furnace, often keeping his teammates going long after their own power had drained.

He opened the door to admit a very surprised young boy. Limpid blue eyes were filled with exhaustion, but a bright smile lit the pale face.

"Hai, Omittchi?"

"We did not think you would wake today." He smiled. "Youji was ready to throw you into the shower, conscious or not. "

Ken could feel Omi's discomfort below the cheery smile. The boy was unsure of what he had experienced at the Clavicula Nox, and terrified of the memories it brought to the surface. He had enough nightmares of his own without borrowing from the sad visions of the past thousand years.

"Birman is here."

The statement startled Omi, the smile fading for a moment. It would take time to get accustomed to the almost Schwarz like powers his teammate started exhibit. He shuddered suddenly as Ken gave him a knowing smile, as if his last thought had not been to himself.

"Don't worry, Omi. Things will become much clearer soon. You'll see." Ken strode from his room, not even caring about the fact that he was wearing nothing but faded pajama bottoms and an old soccer jersey.

After last night, some things gained a new perspective and impressing Kritiker took a back burner.

He looked back over his shoulder, waiting for Omi to follow. It was a tense moment before the youth began to move, hand rising slightly to get Ken's attention.

Ken pulled the thought across their connection. "She saw Nagi sleeping on the couch didn't she?"

Omi nearly blushed. "I thought it best if he went to the roof for now. Aya has been...less than civil with him."

_To be expected, I suppose,_ Ken thought, _for Aya it will be hardest to realize that Nagi has saved his life...and died for him...a thousand times over. Will it be enough for White to see past Black?_

§§§§§

"Do you trust him?"

Ken frowned at Birman's question. She had become stonily silent upon discovering Nagi's sleeping form on their couch upstairs, the boy physically and mentally drained from his near death ordeal. The dark haired assassin felt the same way himself, but still found the energy to keep going until he was sure his team was all right.

Weiß offered no explanation to his presence as they followed Persia's right hand down into the mission room, and she had confronted them before they had all had the chance to take a seat.

Siberian thought a moment, knowing that what she wanted to hear just wasn't true any longer. "Yes."

His answer did not kill the anger in her eyes. Kritiker would hit the roof once they discovered that Weiß had willingly taken the boy Schwarz into their safe house and Birman was the bearer of that outrage. She looked to Aya. "Do you trust him?"

Unfamiliar hesitancy stayed Aya's automatic response. They all agreed to keep what had happened last night to themselves for the time being. Half grayed memories haunted Aya, the conflict between past and present leaving him with a wicked migraine and the desire to kill something. Ken could explain nothing, leaving the other three members of Weiß with cryptic answers and a silent plea in his gray-green eyes to please believe him.

"I trust Ken."

Youji laughed shortly. His had been the loudest voice of protest over keeping Nagi with them instead of handing the telekinetic over to Kritiker for study. "Well, we all seem determined to sign our fate over..." Tiredly, he leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. "I trust Ken as well."

Omi didn't hesitate to agree. "We can't explain it, Birman. Maybe we will...but for now" Young blue eyes looked to Ken with desperate hope. "I trust you."

The Kritiker agent turned and ascended the metal stairs, casting a long look back over her shoulder. "I do not trust you, Siberian, nor your judgment in this matter." She sighed. "If you insist on tempting fate..."

Ken slumped to the floor as she left, head buried in his hands. His body trembled with exhaustion, and he fought to remain awake. Birman hadn't wasted anytime in approaching them for a debriefing. As tired as he was, his team needed him to help them through the transition from mere mortal assassins to warlock protectors.

He winced as gentle hands dragged him to a standing position. Every ache and cut returned with a vengeance, each clamoring for his attention. He glanced about with bleary eyes. Youji and Omi were nowhere to be seen. _Kami, did I fall asleep?_

Aya steadied him as he swayed against the tall boy, limbs clumsy as they slowly made their way upstairs. Ken was dully aware of falling into his bed and his red headed caretaker carefully stripping him of his clothing.

The pain returned quickly as cool fingers brushed against the pink burn on his arms and face. It had been much worse hours ago, but now that Ken had recovered his touch with the magic, he had slowly been trying to heal his injuries. What he really needed now was about a week's worth of sleep and he would be good as new.

"Ken?"

The dark haired assassin groaned as he tried to meet Aya's eyes, concerned with the despair he could see hovering just beyond the carefully controlled mask that had helped the other boy deal with his life so far.

"I'm fine, Aya, I promise. I'll just go up and check on Nagi."

Violet eyes narrowed at the mention of the strange boy who had spent the night on the couch after spending a good part of his young life trying to kill Weiß, but the redhead helped Ken into a new pair of cotton bottoms and top anyway. Aya knew that he trusted Ken's judgment and that would have to be enough.

It didn't mean that he had to share that judgment.

§§§§§

_::The kiss was blistering, the lips soft and pliant beneath his own. Nagi could only gasp in pleasure as Omi plundered his all too willing mouth...::_

Nagi woke slowly from the memory, relieved that the pain he had come to associate with the flashes was blessedly absent. It was no longer a fight for his past lives to find the surface of his consciousness.

Now he could no longer hide from them.

He pulled himself into a sitting position, swinging his legs around until he was sitting comfortably on the couch. Light from the windows indicated it was early evening; he had slept for a good many hours.

Ignoring the urge to fall back to sleep, the telekinetic stood, stretching the newly healed muscles and tendons of his back. He noticed with embarrassment that he had become slightly aroused by the dream and though he would have liked to continue the fantasy, he wasn't comfortable with the idea of his one-time enemies as erotic material.

The arousal was short lived as the sound of someone clearing their throat brought his gaze into contact with that of a beautiful...and incredibly pissed off, woman. He smiled tentatively, suddenly sure that she was the liaison between Weiß and Kritiker.

Fortunately, Omi stepped in for quick moment, meaning to wake Nagi. He smiled when he saw Birman and turned her from the boy Schwarz. Her flinty gaze did not waver though, even as she was led from the room.

Omi's head popped around the corner a second later. "Why don't you go to the roof, Nagi? This may take a while."

Suddenly glad that he was not a true member of the assassin team Weiß, Nagi hurried to dress, before dashing up the stairs to the gravel-covered roof.

Recalling the fear that the woman's look could very well kill him, Nagi was glad indeed.

§§§§§

"Nagi?"

Nagi didn't even have to turn around as he felt Ken's tired presence through the magic that hummed between them like a living thing. The very air he inhaled was filled with magic that rippled through and around his body; he could sense the movements of the other warlock as he disturbed the lines of power etched in the air.

The former Schwarz had sought refuge on the roof of the new Koneko, uncomfortable in the presence of those he had once believed his enemy and now felt an unnatural brotherhood with. Omi and Youji seemed to ignore the fact the he was there better than the icy red headed, Aya. Nagi fled from under the flinty amethyst gaze, knowing it would be better to stay out of their way for now.

He had been staring over the rooftops of Tokyo for hours, at Bombay's suggestion, watching the slow progress of the sun across the sky. The others had been resting before their debriefing with the angry Birman, agreeing not to retell the incredulous story that they wouldn't have believed themselves if they hadn't just lived through it. Birman had been pissed off about Nagi as it was without hoping for her swallow the twisted fantasy that had just become their reality.

The dark haired Weiß joined him at the edge of the roof, leaning on his strong arms. Siberian had changed into a short-sleeved button up, his arms and chest wrapped with gauze. He would heal faster than the others would, since he was open again to the magic, but he had burned himself out healing Nagi's wounds. The magic was slowly seeping back into this body.

Nagi glanced over at the other assassin, noting the pale draw to his features. If the exhaustion he was suffering was only an echo of Nagi's, then the other boy was close to falling into a heap and not moving for a week. "Hidaka-san."

Ken smiled slightly at the formal greeting. "We are closer than brothers, Nagi."

_Or lovers,_ Nagi's mind supplied quickly, causing the boy to flush. Strange feelings were another reason he had wanted to be alone. He found himself looking at the other assassins in a way he was unprepared to handle just yet.

Ken seemed to sense his discomfort. His smile disappeared beneath an exhausted sigh. "The others will come around once their memory returns."

_Ah, yes, memories_ Nagi thought, still sifting through the thousands of memories that had slammed into his consciousness along with Weiß's power. The past negated everything he had come to believe in his present. He knew evil and he knew it was his destiny to stop it, not be a part of it. He wondered if he would have met that fate if he had remained ignorant and stayed with Schwarz.

"The memories have never been hidden so well."

Ken snorted. "Yuki went out of her way to make sure she did nothing to stir them until the last moment. She left the world domination plans up to Aste this time." The dark haired assassin swayed with anger. "So much has happened to us. I can't recall a lifetime where any of us suffered so much..."

Nagi fixed Ken with a sympathetic stare. "A force greater than that witch controlled our Fate, Ken." He turned to study his companion, noting the bruises that still marred the pale cheeks. "The darkness has never been so strong...the human world is so full of hate and anger. Aste feeds on the greed of Man, and ready themselves to discard the pawns."

He gasped as Ken swayed, dangerously close to falling face first into the gravel at his feet. "Aya will kill me if you don't get to bed. The sun's gone as it is. The memories can wait until morning."

The dark haired warlock said nothing as he was led from the roof, arm draped about Nagi's supple neck. Cold shock passed through his skin and they both gasped. The younger boy did not let go, but dug his fingers bruisingly into Ken's side.

"Ken...what are you..."

Siberian did not answer as he was swept up in the sudden contact with Nagi's presence. The young Schwarz was more powerful than himself at this point, having had minor control of his ability for his short lifetime.

It was a natural instinct that had developed among the warlocks of Weiß. A web of power connected them to each other, allowing for degrees of empathy, telepathy...Ken could feel Youji's old heartbreak from a floor away. The bond was undeniable, unbreakable...there even when the memories were not. It allowed for the sharing of power, and the comfort of an intimate connection that most humans never experienced.

_::We are Hidaka Ken. The Key.::_

Nagi drew every wall-building lesson Schuldich had drilled into his head, for his own sanity as well as the dark haired boy's. Ken's pain no longer flooded his mind, and the flow diminished with every breath.

It had been like trying to live Ken's lifetime in a few seconds. None of them were ready for that.

Ken was even more drained as he felt Nagi exert some control over the accidental bond. It would strengthen and refine itself as time went on, but Ken hadn't the energy to prevent it.

Once he was sure Ken wasn't going to pass out, Nagi began the arduous journey to the stairs, pausing often to let the exhausted assassin catch his breath.

Ken couldn't even remember the last few meters to his room. All he was aware of was a familiar mattress under his back, and warm blankets tucked about his chin.

Nagi knelt next to the bed, watching with fascination as Ken dropped off. His mind still thrummed from the intimate contact with the other assassin. "Ken, what is the Key?"

The phrase brought a small frown from the nearly unconscious boy. "The Key? The Key of Night..." A great yawn interrupted the thought and the blue-gray eyes drifted shut. "In the morning...when they remember..."

"Hai, Ken-kun. The morning then."

§§§§§

Schuldich screamed with rage, sending the last of his furniture into the wall with an unsatisfactory crack.

_Damn you, Nagi!_

He was past vocal obscenities. The telepath had cursed in the five languages he had picked up in his travels, mostly in Japanese and English. Soon his voice gave out from the screaming and he was left with just the voice in his head.

He began tossing the remains of his room at the battered walls, using his uncontrolled anger to keep himself from breaking into hysterical tears. His bed had been overturned, sheets cut to viscous shreds. The strips fluttered helplessly against his ankles as he waded through the destruction, desperate for something more to vent his fury on. The bed frame itself had been scored with his knife, one post tottering on nothing more than a toothpick as it struggled to remain upright.

The German searched his upturned dresser again, still unwilling to take the knife to his clothing. The drawers were cracked from his flurry of kicking. He glanced back over his shoulder and realized that he had pretty much broken everything he could, and shredded or cut that which could not be shattered. He had even begun mutilating the walls before realizing that other things were easier to get to.

Suddenly, his body was drained and he slid into an exhausted heap on the floor.

_::Are you quite finished?::_

Brad's cool question made the German smile. His teammates had been cautious around him, especially since he had begun tearing the house apart just after returning from the mission. Brad had bodily thrown him into his room and locked the door after the telepath had taken a bat to his favorite desk.

Even Farfarello was impressed with the fury he saw in his flame haired companion.

_::Fuck off.::_

He could sense Crawford's near smirk. _::You are free to leave your room then.::_

Schuldich sighed heavily before getting back to his feet. The message hadn't really been a request. Crawford had something to discuss and the telepath could sense the urgency in his companion's mind.

The German opened the door quickly, realizing that he wasn't about to get any peace. _::What is it with you, Crawford? Your mind is making me itch with curiosity.::_

Crawford seemed to nearly...well, fidget was the closest Schuldich could estimate. The American never moved more than was necessary to complete his intended action; anything else was just wasted energy.

He actually seemed nervous.

_::This remains between us, Schuldich. Not Farfarello, not the witch, not Aste...No one is to know.::_

Schuldich moved into the hall, intrigued by Crawford's mysterious request. _::Exactly why are we keeping the bitch around anyways? We should finish the job the Weiß katzen began.::_

_::She will be needed. Aste will speak with her...after they speak with us about Nagi.::_

The telepath went cold with shock. He hadn't thought of the consequences of letting the young boy go...only knowing that he couldn't possibly kill one of the only humans he had ever come to think of as family. Now it was likely that he and the rest of Schwarz would die in his place.

_::I lied to you.::_

It was a moment before the impact of Crawford's statement sunk in. _::Lied? How could you lie? Lied how?::_

With a cautious glance over his shoulder, the American leaned closer as if their mental conversation could be overheard. _::I told you that _you _were supposed to keep an eye on Nagi. I...saw his...betrayal...and his death::_ He paused for a deep sigh. _::At my hands. _I _was the one who was to watch...and kill...Nagi that day.::_

Schuldich didn't know whether to kiss the American for saving their youngest member or be pissed for Crawford's lack of confidence in his ability. _::You changed your vision. Dammit, Crawford! You changed Nagi's future!::_ Happiness won out over anger. The German was certainly elated that Crawford had foreseen his soft spot for the dark haired bishounen or Nagi would be nothing but a memory.

He sobered immediately. There were still consequences to be faced. Aste would ask for Nagi's head, as well as that of the one who failed to kill him. _::What of Aste?::_

A small smile creased Crawford's lips. _::I will take care of Aste. It appears that my truth bending abilities will be tested yet again.::_

_Yeah, by psychics of the inhuman kind,_ Schuldich's mind filled in unkindly, suddenly worried that Crawford would be willing to die for his teammates. All fault lay in the lie he had told Schuldich about the vision. Still, only Crawford could see that future...and he wasn't willing to share.

Schuldich turned back to his room, intent on cleaning some of the disaster he had caused. He lowered his head to his arm. A quick sniff revealed that a shower wouldn't be out of order either.

Crawford nearly smiled. "We will have to contact Aste soon." _::Remember to bury that knowledge deep, Schuldich. All our lives may depend on it.::_

_::Hai, hai. Done and done. Locked and key thrown away. ::_

The American gave a small glare over the tops of his gold-framed glasses and turned away. He heard Schuldich whisper something, but kept walking.

"Thanks, Crawford."

§§§§§

It was a good two hours later before the German telepath sauntered out of his room, his smile fading into an angry frown as he saw the thin witch girl lounging in his favorite recliner.

"I'll never use that chair again."

Yuki snapped, her dark eyes flashing with anger. "Don't be such a diva, Mastermind. Soon my business with Aste will be concluded and you can continue with your pitiful life."

Schuldich couldn't help but snipe back, his patience with the soul stealer stretched beyond gone. "Listen here, you body snatching bitch..."

"Children. Sit."

The German complied even before he registered he had been given the order. He dropped on the long couch next to Farfarello, tempted to take one of the Irishman's knives and carve the smirk from her face. His green eyes continued to wish death upon the pale witch, and he found his dislike returned.

His memory of her control had been restored after the second instance in the nightclub. His pride did not take kindly to his being used merely as a communication device, by either side.

Yuki slid down from the recliner, pacing about the wine colored carpet. The movements were jerky and hesitant, as if she had to think about them before the action could be done. Her mind would have to assimilate what remained of Wrash's natural body actions in order to use the body properly.

"Why have we not contacted Aste?"

Crawford removed his glasses, a sure sign that his patience with the witch was growing thin. "We will wait for them..."

Yuki stamped her foot, looking like a teenager told that she was grounded. "No! I will contact Aste on my own terms."

She dashed forward, diving bodily into the stunned German telepath, who did nothing as sibilant words hissed from her mouth, and her cool hands held his cheeks.

The spell was finished, and for a moment Crawford believed the crisis past.

"Christ!"

Crawford stopped himself from rushing forward as the telepath seemed to crumple in on himself, pale hands clutched to his head in agony. He fell to the dark carpet, writhing as his muscles fought back against another's attempt to control them. Yuki merely smirked, tapping her foot with impatience.

Schuldich's head snapped back up, his mouth open in a terrifying scream. His eyes had gone white blind as another presence invaded his body, pushing the German aside with ease. He rose jerkily, as if a puppet with an unskilled master. He turned towards Brad and the American repressed a shudder at the power emanating from the body of his companion.

"Where is the betrayer? Why is he not dead?"

The voice was cracked and dry, ripped from vocal chords that had been screaming for the past twenty-four hours. It echoed with a hundred voices, each speaking through the poor telepath in their grasp. Farfarello hissed and dropped to one knee, knife drawn at his side.

"Well, Oracle? What have you to say?"

Brad swallowed hard. He knew that it would come to this, but he had a wild card he hoped to playand to save both his life and the other's of Schwarz.

"I could not foresee what was to occur after we reached the warehouse. Another power moved to interfere with my own."

With unusual nervousness, the American prayed that the Elders would believe the lie, to believe that whatever spell Yuki had cast could have done exactly what Brad said.

Schuldich nodded, head bobbing loosely on his neck. The Elders turned the German's gaze upon Yuki, the witch in the waifish body staring defiantly into the dead whites of the telepath.

A sad cackle escaped the German's lips. "You failed, witch. Weiß has the Key of Night. Their memories will..."

Yuki hissed to interrupt, her whip thin form rising to her feet. "Correction, Elders. Weiß does _not_ have the Key."

This caught the Elders' attention and Schuldich took a few shuffling steps towards the witch. Yuki did not flinch as cool hands touched her cheeks, seeking deception. "Explain yourself and perhaps we will show mercy."

"Weiß _is_ the Key of Night."

The telepath fell back in a parody of surprise, eyes wide. Brad wasn't sure exactly what the significance of her admission was, but he intended to find out once the presence of the Elders left Schwarz to themselves.

A low sigh of satisfaction hissed from Schuldich's body. "Yes. We see. Very well." He stepped uncomfortably close to Yuki, his mouth nearly on hers. "You will give us the Key and we will not kill you."

Brad caught only snatches of words, hardly more than whispers. A deep foreboding grew in his stomach and he didn't need a vision to reveal the future of this unholy alliance between Aste and the disembodied witch.

The witch nodded. "I am weakened. I have no choice but to serve you, mighty Elders." She licked her lips and drew closer to Schuldich. "I ask but one thing in return."

"You are brave and stupid beyond question, witch. Ask."

"Schwarz. Give me Schwarz and the Key is yours." 


	7. Seven::Douwasure

Clavicula Nox  
Seven:: Douwasure

§§§§§

Ken drifted gently from sleep, blinking in hazy confusion. No memories had chased him; no nightmares haunted him in his exhaustion. For the first time in weeks, his sleep was blessedly dreamless.

It was still night, long before dawn, silver moonlight washing the color from the room. Ken realized that sometime after Nagi had brought him to bed, he had changed himself into a button up nightshirt. The faded blue shirt was a gift from a friend, more years ago than he cared to count. It was one of the few things he had left from his life before Weiß.

A gentle creak of wood made him turn quickly, gasping as he caught sight of one of Weiß in the doorway to his room.

Aya was completely nude, his tall form glowing a mystical white in the moonlight. A dangerous aura surrounded him, his body unconsciously trying to re-connect with the natural magic it had once known. The effect had awakened a primal need within the tall boy and he sought the one person he felt could help him.

Ken got up, throwing the blankets from his bed, his heart hammering with alarm. "Aya? Is something wrong?"

There was no answer from the spellbound youth, his violet eyes pinning Ken to the spot. He approached with feral grace, a pale tiger hunting his prey. The first tendrils of fear worked into Ken's mind.

_What the hell?_

With unnatural swiftness, Aya took the stunned boy in his arms, his strong limbs supporting Ken's surprised form. There was no room for thought as Aya's eager mouth covered Ken's own, his delicate fingers quickly undoing the other boy's nightshirt with ease. The thin fabric was pushed off Ken's shoulders and pooled on the floor.

The dark haired assassin blushed, now as naked as the boy who was plundering Ken's mouth with surprising ability. He flushed deeply as Aya pressed his body hard against his own.

Ken matched Aya's need, head falling back with the trust that Aya would hold him. It never occurred to him that what was happening was strange in any way. It felt right. It felt good.

He felt powerful.

The same power that coursed through him when they had saved Nagi from the survivors of Schwarz. The magic that had been awakened on the mission, when they discovered their past identities.

Sudden insight struck Ken. "Do you remember, Aya?"

Aya growled deeply and picked Ken up easily, wrapping the muscular legs around his waist. Ken returned the growl and attacked Aya's mouth with hard passion. There were no thoughts but those of Aya: Aya possessing him, him taking Aya. Nothing else in the world mattered but this exchange between him and his soul mate.

Aya's cool hands returned to caress his neck and shoulders, his head drawing back to study his lover's tanned form in the pale moonlight. His fingers ran over the stark white of bandaging on Ken's upper arm, and he cried out with inhuman need. Ken gasped as Aya pulled away the blood soaked gauze away from the cut on his arm. Crusted blood caught and was ripped away. Sudden heat flashed through his body as the crimson liquid began to flow from the wound, Aya's violet eyes staring almost hungrily as the life fluid pooled and began to stream down the bronze skin.

The words came into Ken's mind as they always did, strange and yet hauntingly familiar. "Take what is mine, I give it to you freely."

The red head was gentle as he bent to clean the fresh blood with his moist tongue, electricity coursing through his veins at the first taste of Ken's coppery essence.

It was as if a door had been opened in his mind. The painful flashes of memory that had driven him to Ken's bedside became a sudden flood, a thousand lifetimes streaming into the red head's consciousness. He pulled his head up quickly, eyes wide with shock.

Ken could feel their connection rebuilding itself, Aya's thoughts and emotions coming into his own mind with shocking clarity. He nearly wept with the intensity he sensed, months of denial warring with desire.

_::To protect Ken...He'll never love me...Nothing will touch him...Mine...Please...don't turn me away...please...Ken...::_

The tears did come then and Ken wrapped strong arms around his lover's trembling frame. He willed trust and comfort to the shattered boy, assurances that his feelings were shared...that Ken had been in love with him too.

Aya shuddered as the memories ebbed, a receding tide leaving him shaken about the very things he had trusted in his life. His mask had cracked with the onslaught of a million emotions he had experienced over the centuries...emotions he had hidden from in this lifetime.

He had loved them all...Omi, Youji...even Nagi. But now...in this time...

_Ken,_ his mind whispered, sudden comfort washing away the bewilderment. Aya accepted the memoriesbecause Ken was with him, sharing the terror of a hundred deaths, a thousand heated moments, in an instant.

"Kami, I remember!"

Aya's head lowered until it rested in the crook of Ken's shoulder, violet eyes blinking rapidly against sudden tears. "I remember...them...us"

Ken pressed his cheek to the scarlet hair of his lover, willing their minds to touch and connect.

_::Aya...Ai shiteru, Aya...::_

The other boy flinched at the voice in his head, unwilling to trust the words. _::You know nothing about me...::_

The response was so ingrained that it didn't even occur to Aya that Ken knew every intimate detail of his lifeseeing it through his eyes. The dark haired boy knew better than to argue.

"Aya..."

His true voice received a better reaction than his mental admission. Aya looked up, kiss swollen lips inches from Ken's. The passion that had ebbed in the wake of the memories was returning...the same desire that had called him to Ken earlier in the evening once again raged through his lithe frame.

Half lidded blue gray eyes revealed the same desire. "Ai shiteru, Aya. "

Aya claimed Ken's lips and Ken moaned wantonly into his lover's mouth.

Aya pulled back, violet eyes capturing the slate orbs of the boy before him. Their eyes closed as they resumed the passioned touching, the eagerness to know each other. The night crescendoed in one cry that announced the return to the familiar...

"Oh, Kami, Aya!"

"Ken..." came the whisper, the voice filled with a kind of wonder. "Ai shiteru."

::HEAVILY edited...this used to be hardcore lemon...unadulterated version can be found on my site:: 


	8. Eight::Duality

Clavicula Nox  
Eight:: Duality

§§§§§

Brad sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. His head ached from a long vigil at Schuldich's bedside, the red head resting fitfully on only the thing salvaged from the his earlier storm of rage and denial.

Farfarello sat silently at the foot of the bed, staring up at his teammates. He sensed the tension in his leader, and thankfully kept his insanity to himself for the time being. He watched Schuldich toss and moan, amber eye alight with curiosity.

Crawford admitted to feeling some of the same curiosity himself. The German had collapsed moments after the witch had finished her 'deal' with the Elders of Aste. The sight of his teammate collapsing as a discarded marionette was enough to make Brad wince. The witch Yuki merely retired to her temporary quarters in the room that had once belonged to Nagi.

A stab of unfamiliar emotion hit Brad. If he had been asked just a year ago if he would deliberately ignore paths laid out for him by his power, he would have denied it. Especially if those paths involved a teammate and betrayer to Aste and Rosenkreuz.

A year ago, duty had been his all, his very being. It kept the insanity of his precognition at bay by giving him a measure of control in the chaos of the visions that assaulted him.

After following the future revealed with the Triad and the failed Summoning, Crawford had foolishly thought himself free to continue the fate Schwarz could achieve. Reconditioning for three months at Rosenkreuz headquarters in Germany had quickly cured him of that notion.

_Fingers of thought...so different from...Schuldich's playing mind...tearing away the true memory of their betrayal...leaving behind the promises of eternal pain and agony...your soul is ours..._

The American knew it had been much harder on the German. The boy had been catatonic for weeks after his sessions with the master telepaths who had once been his teachers. His terrific pride would have refused to let them rewrite his memories as they saw fit...

And it still seemed that Aste was not finished using their pawns just yet.

"Ne, Craw...Brad?" Weary jade eyes peeked from beneath light eyelashes, face crumpled in a confused frown. "Did you let Nagi play with my head again?"

Brad sat forward quickly, falling to his knees at Schuldich's side. He had fully expected the telepath to remain unconscious, or wake up an empty shell for Aste and Yuki to use as they saw fit. The witch, or Aste, to prevent his interference with whatever soul damning deal Yuki had made, had deliberately negated his powers. He hadn't seen this coming.

"Schuldich."

_::Man of many words.::_

Crawford allowed a smile to touch his lips, even though he could feel an echo of the ache that raged in the German's head. _::Can't be too bad if you're still a smartass.::_

"Not dead yet." _::I didn't tell them.::_

The American started as Schuldich caught his hand in a tight grip. The German caught Brad's gaze with fear filled jade. _::Tell them?::_

_::Nagi. Even when they took me...every part of me...::_

The dark haired leader of Schwarz was at a loss as the red head started to sob brokenly, head turned from his teammate in shame. Farfarello watched with detachment, slightly disturbed that the once controlled telepath had lost it in front of his team. Brad felt a surge of fury at what had been done to the telepath. His very persona had been violated, controlled...suppressed and tortured.

His mind had been raped.

"I knew you wouldn't..."

"No." _::I hid from them. The darkest corners of my mind, where I hide everything I'd ever feared...I took the knowledge of our betrayal and hid in the horrors that have been hiding there...::_

_But at what cost?_ Brad thought silently, once again replacing his mental walls. The German didn't need to have another psyche mucking about in his shattered state.

As the tears ceased, a viscious smiled took their place. "I did learn something useful while that soul stealer was busy dealing with the devil.

"She's only got about a week before that body she threw herself into begins to rot around her. Without the power of the Key, even she can't keep the dead alive for long."

Crawford felt a smile matching the telepath's cross his lips. "A weakness. To be exploited."

Plans were already forming in his mind, ideas falling into place as his strategic training took over. They had a week to prevent Yuki from obtaining the Key...yet they had to keep themselves out of it. Any overt attempts on their part would result in immediate execution at Rosenkreuz's hands.

"Perhaps some new pawns should be brought to this game."

§§§§§

Aya woke slowly, hovering at the comfortable edge between waking and dreaming for a few moments. He smiled slightly at the soft brown hair tickling his chin, his lover's breath a soft whisper against his chest. Pastel sunlight peered through the dark curtains, bringing color to the plain bedroom. Aya was in no hurry to move. It was the first time in recent memory he had allowed himself the luxury of remaining half asleep.

And the first time he had allowed himself to feel...warm.

Not just warm from the body heat of the boy next to him, curled protectively into his embrace, or from the deep passion of their lovemaking. The warmth of life...emotion, that had overtaken his mind.

Aya suddenly realized just how cold he had been in the years between Aya-chan's accident and now. Walls had been built around his heart, to cut himself off from the rest of the world. If he couldn't feel, then he couldn't hurt. Guilt couldn't touch him hate...want...

Everything had crumbled in the first kiss.

His present life was still just as sharp and painful as it had been, his anger at Ken's insistence of helping Nagi still hot. But it seemed tempered now, muted by faded memories of lifetimes past.

"How did you ever come to love me?" he whispered, touching his lips to Ken's head.

"Your rakish good looks."

Aya laughed gently. ::_You were only pretending?::_

_:Iie:: _Ken's mind answered. ::_Your thoughts woke me.::_

_::This mind reading thing will take some getting used to.::_

"I don't know. I kinda like knowing what you're thinking for once."

Aya grew serious for a moment. "You wouldn't have wanted to read my mind before now."

Ken nodded into his chest, arms tightening in a quick hug. "What's mine is yours, Aya. Your feelings, thoughts, are all mine now. Just as they will belong to the others once they remember." A low chuckle rumbled. "Nagi is probably waking up to your memories as we speak."

Ken didn't need to look up to know that his lover had turned a shade of his hair, one long fingered hand moving to cover his flamed cheeks. "Everything?"

"Hai. Everything."

"Crap."

The dark haired assassin pulled back to watch his lover's embarrassment. _::I'm just kidding, Aya. His mental shields are much stronger than any of ours. He did live with a telepath.::_

A new voice interrupted their conversation, somewhat hesitant. _::Ohayou gozaimasu, Ken to Aya-kun. Sumimasen.::_

Still not convinced that the boy Schwarz had not been privy to the night's activities, Aya pulled himself from Ken's embrace, reddening once again at the chuckle that followed his nude form across the room. He opened the door and peered down either side of the hall before making a dash for his own room.

_:Iie, Nagi.:: _Ken smiled at the familiar touch of his teammates' minds, a connection that filled a void he hadn't been aware of. It was instinctual that they reach across the web that joined them; their lives had been saved more than once from being able to sense another's feelings and reactions.

Ken realized that on an unconscious level, they must have been using their connection for years. It was a logical explanation as to why Weiß had worked so well together, even against supernatural opponents.

_::Youji-kun says that asagohan is ready. I informed him it was afternoon and too late for breakfast.:: _The mental voice smiled slightly. Nagi could remember times when he and Youji would degenerate into such childish arguments on a daily basis, just to relieve tension in the household. _::He insists that you and Aya-kun join us before he forgets exactly why he trusted you.::_

The last thought brought Aya's surprised laugh rippling through his mind. Ken smiled in return, still unused to his teammate's new ease at humor. Aya chose to answer the boy.

_::We'll be down, Nagi.::_

They could feel the smile across their minds, the dark haired boy relieved that Aya's earlier distrust and hate was once again tempered by his memories.

Now if it were only that easy to win over the last two members of their team.

§§§§§

Ken finished pulling the shirt over his head just as he entered the small kitchen, stopping suddenly as he felt the wall of tension in the room. Youji and Omi were sitting in uncharacteristic silence at the table as Aya and Nagi spoke in hushed tones near the sink. He could feel the breach between them as if it were a physical void.

He sat down at the table next to Omi, joined a moment later by Aya's strong arms draping themselves across his shoulders. He looked up in the violet eyes, and across the room to where Nagi stood uncomfortably.

The tension broke tangibly.

Youji slammed the glass down on the table, emerald eyes narrowed with anger and confusion. "Okay. Someone had better tell me what the _fuck_ is going on right now, or I'm out the door."

"Youji-kun..." Omi began, only to be stopped as the blonde's hand appeared just inches from his lips.

"Don't start, chibi. Aya is suddenly chummy with the enemy, Ken has a just got laid grin on his face and we've got a gaki who's tried repeatedly to make sure we don't see our next birthdays waiting for his turn at the Alpha Bits." Now that he was on a roll, the list of bizarre happenings just kept pouring from him. "I've got a killer migraine that started yesterday after that weird shit in the alley, I keep hearing voices and remembering things that couldn't _possibly_ have happened..."

Ken shrugged his way from under Aya's arms, blue gray eyes dark with guilt. "Youji..."

Nagi stepped closer to the table, pale hand touching Ken's shoulder briefly. "We should tell them now, Ken. It is morning after all," he finished with a smile.

The dark haired boy's voice seemed to ease some of the tense assassin's discomfort. With a calming breath, he closed his eyes. Even Youji and Omi could feel the shift in power that seemed to come from within their friend. The air became thick and Youji unconsciously rubbed at the goosebumps that formed on his bare arms.

When Ken's eyes opened again, they were a lifeless gray blue, his gaze distant and cold. "I am the Key."

The low whisper belied the massive energy lying within the frail human shell before them. Each of them knew that they were in the presence of something huge...and infinitely powerful.

Youji opened his mouth to make a remark but it snapped shut again as Nagi shifted forward, kneeling next to the possessed assassin. He set a reassuring hand on Ken's knee, squeezing gently. Aya said nothing, his gaze flinty at the intrusion on his lover, but somehow knew that Nagi was more in touch with what was going on.

"Tell us."

"I am the Key of Night. I am the Gatekeeper to Hell. The dark coven intended to use me to open the door and release the infinite powers of darkness. They would have been invincible."

It was a long moment before the words sunk in. Ken sighed and raised a hand. He studied the fingers as if he had never seen them before.

"Kore wa hen da." The boy paused as he watched the fluid movements of his fingers as they flexed at his command. "I have been summoned before, but never have I taken a living form."

"Hen da mou," he repeated before placing the hand on the table before him. "The magic "

This caught Aya's attention. "Corrupted? How?"

The Key struggled to find the words to explain. It did not understand what had happened itself. "I am Ken. Ken is me. When he fell into the Void, he collided with...my essence. Any ordinary human would have been killed, but his soul instead..._fused_ with the energy that is me." It paused again, the dull eyes searching the face of the boys who watched it with strange fascination and a little fear. "I was suddenly aware...one moment energy, the next...a human boy."

The red headed assassin couldn't ignore that absolute despair in the Key's voice, still barely more than a whisper of Ken's. The strange being was trapped in an unfamiliar body, with thoughts and emotions that it had never experienced. Small wonder it was terrified.

Youji was touched by the display as well. Still, he wasn't going to give up on getting his numerous questions answered. "Can the Door still be opened if you're trapped here?"

The dark head shook a negative. "In order to open the door, Ken must be sacrificed. As long as he lives, the door will remain shut."

Omi gasped. "But what if he dies?"

The Key smiled sadly. "If he dies naturally, either from time or his fellow man, I will return to the Void until I can be summoned again, in one thousand years. But if he dies in the proper ceremony, the power belongs to the one who tastes of his blood."

Aya filled the silence with his deep voice. "So it is in their best interests to keep him alive," he said, somewhat relived that anyone seeking the Key wouldn't try to kill his lover outright.

"What if we performed the ceremony to free you?" Omi asked, chin resting on his hands. The Key again shook its head.

"As long as Ken lives, we will be one. My power is his." The Key paused, head poised as if listening. He nodded once. "Ken will try to explain as best he can."

The change was palpable as Ken's personality stepped forward, tension flowing from the room as the Key once again hid itself beneath the assassin's psyche. Ken fell back against Aya, sighing in exhaustion.

Youji smiled briefly. "Well, now everything's clear as mud. Your Key doesn't happen to know exactly _how_ to stop Yuki does he?"

Siberian closed his eyes, drained from allowing the Key control. The power behind the being took stamina to control and it was unused to being careful with the vessels it was contained within. "No. We will have to wait for her to make the first move.

"And pray that we get there in time to pick up the pieces."

§§§§§

Yuki continued her pacing within the tiny space that had once belonged to the betrayer, Naoe Nagi. The room was almost painfully plain, except for the undeniable tokens that identified the occupant as barely more than a child. A few manga sat on the shelves, along with books in several different languages. Even his computer spoke of his personality. It was covered with post-its displaying different ideas or sayings. A few clothes had been left scattered on the floor, their owner sure that he would be returning home that night to clean them up.

She sniffed again, trying to ignore the perpetual residue of white magic that had lingered after the young warlock. He had been exuding the aura for years, even if he had been using his powers for darkness. His destiny could not be subverted, no matter the evil in his life.

Yuki kicked at the clothing on the floor, cursing as she nearly lost her balance. She was slowly sublimating what remained of her dead servant's mind, body reactions slow...and quickly decaying. She had to find the Key...or steal another body.

Her coven was gone. Schwarz was largely untrained, unable to be used for anything other than spare energy. Still, that was why she made the deal with Aste. She could use the three remaining espers until they were drained dry of their innate magic.

The witch had not survived this lifetime without learning lessons from the past. She had left too much up to chance in previous lives; the chance that one of Weiß would be killed before they could interfere, or their souls would be prevented from rebirth. She had taken steps to ensure her success in this existence. Options she had hoped not to pursue would have to be looked into.

She looked down at her hands, slightly disgusted by the faint gray tinge the skin had taken. Her time was running out. She would have to make her move.

And soon.

::kore wa hen da ­ this is strange::

::hen da mou ­ very strange::

::for portia: i'm waiting!::

::for tschubi-chan: danke::

::musical inspiration: distance ­ utada hikaru:: 


	9. Nine:: Yami no Hon

Clavicula Nox  
Nine:: Yami no Hon

§§§§§

"Are you ready?"

"Ja. As ready as I can be."

"Make it short and simple. Just an influence. I'll take care of the hacking. It has to be flawless. Otherwise, she'll..."

"Enough. If you say that she'll know, I'll honestly shoot you."

"You could try."

A smile touched the words. "One can dream, Crawford."

§§§§§

Omi let out a sigh as the last customer left the store with a disappointed pout. He had never been so happy to turn the closed sign, nor lower the metal gate.

It was hard to concentrate on his work when his life was nothing but chaos. Undeniable truths were hitting him in the face. Weiß was actually a millennia old coven of warlocks whose only mission was to protect the world from the Key of Night. Which was now his teammate. Or was it? Omi gave up trying to untangle the mess of memories and denials that had assaulted him since meeting the Key.

Still, his mind cried out to be doing something, _anything_ but catering flowers to the oblivious girls who knew nothing of the danger that hung over their pretty heads.

And Omi felt guilty for such feelings. Usually he felt comforted by the innocent customers, assured that this was what his purpose in Weiß truly was.

"Omi-kun?"

Omi turned at the voice, slightly surprised to see the dark haired Schwarz standing at the counter. The boy was dressed in one of Ken's old outfits of jogging pants and a gray tee, looking so frighteningly ordinary...so normal that Omi had to bite back a laugh. Newer memories of Nagi surfaced sharply and a lance of sympathetic pain tightened his back for a moment before becoming soothed

_::The fingers were smooth, the hands of a magic user. Deft motions kneaded and caressed the tense muscles and brought a welcome sense of arousal...::_

Nagi blushed deeply as Omi pressed the heel of his hand to his temple. That had been a particularly...embarrassing...memory to say the least. "Daijoubu, Omi-kun?" Nagi asked, trying to pretend he had not sensed the feelings brought on by Omi's vision. The web was strengthening itself out of need, bringing bits and pieces of Youji and Omi's consciousnesses with it. It had been a trial the night before to block out the absolute waves of lust rolling across Ken's mind as he and Aya...Nagi shook his head sharply, smiling disarmingly.

Thandful that the pain passed quickly, Omi nodded. "Hai, Nagi-kun. Daijoubu."

The sharp rap of knuckles on metal sent Omi jumping, and Nagi dashing behind the counter. Heart in his throat, Omi opened the door and raised the metal grate. "Birman?"

The dark haired liaison stepped primly into the shop, attaché case tucked under her arm. Her eyes met Omi's and he was suddenly reminded of how empty Ken's blues had been under the Key's influence. He shook himself mentally and stepped aside to allow the woman in.

Nagi peered from around the corner of his hiding place, afraid to face the wrath of Persia's right hand again. The woman's look had promised certain death at their last meeting. It struck him as odd that someone of his power should fear a mere mortal, but he honestly wasn't willing to take the chance.

After all, one did not play with knives unless one was thoroughly mad.

§§§§§

Birman looked up slowly as Weiß seated themselves, somewhat pleased that they had not invited the child Schwarz with them. Her anger had not faded since discovering the boy sleeping on the couch and the four assassins who seemed to have gone insane.

She studied the boys before her with an indifferent air, even as the hair on her arms rose in response to the sense of change that had overcome the group. Siberian slumped on the couch next to Abyssinian, his dark head resting comfortably on the other boy's shoulder. He still looked like he had been put through a blender, eyes marked with dark bags of exhaustion. He wore torn jeans and a dirtied tee, none of his usual attire for meeting with Kritiker.

Balinese lounged comfortably against the center post of the metal stairwell and Omi had taken the remaining chair directly in front of the dark haired liaison. Birman rubbed at her aching temples before opening the case at her side.

There was no tape of Persia this time, only hardcopy information for the team to study. On some level, Birman knew that she should be worried about the lack of direct orders from Persia, but she shrugged it off and began the debriefing.

"Sources have confirmed that Yuki survived your encounter at the warehouse," she said and was shaken by the lack of surprise in the group. Ken didn't even open his eyes as he nodded for her to go on. "We have information on what her next target may be."

Omi sat forward and collected the papers from her outstretched hand. His brow creased as he skimmed the information quickly. "A book?"

Ken sat up quickly, reaching across the small coffee table to grab the papers before Omi could protest. A brief description of the book and its owner was included, but his eyes focused on the picture paper clipped to the file.

"Yami no Hon."

Youji frowned, coming to stand at his teammate's side. "Book of Darkness?" The words brought back the strange sense of familiarity...and dread. This book was more than a mere collection of pages. It was bad news.

Ken turned to the dark haired woman, frowning as he noticed her wince of pain. "Birman, where did you get this information?"

Birman merely shrugged, feeling a sudden urge to leave as quickly as possible. She closed her case and elbowed her way past the surprised assassins. She practically ran up the stairs, biting back a scream as she nearly collided with the eavesdropping Nagi.

He turned red for a moment, and paused as if to flee. With a concentrated look, he stepped up the stunned agent, opening a part of his mind. "Arigatou," he whispered before stepping back.

The dark haired agent smiled gently and nodded, before practically bolting from the shop. Nagi smiled as he heard her last words before the glass door closed.

"You owe me."

§§§§§

Farfarello let out a long breath as he walked through the living area, shaking his head in confusion. The stability of Schwarz was the main reason behind his nearly controllable madness, and he acted on the steel haired American's behalf out of a twisted kind of gratitude. Much like the stray cat who comes around for food: never quite trusting or to be trusted.

The entire situation with the witch had changed everything. An inner sense he had long learned not to ignore urged him to see if her blood was as red as his own. Evil permeated her every pore, and made Farfarello wary of her intentions.

His attention was drawn to the telepath who had planted himself in the recliner he had sworn to never touch again, too tired to really care. The red head's eyes were closed, but Farfarello could tell he wasn't sleeping.

The Irishman turned with a growl as he felt Yuki's presence slip next to him like oil, black and cloying. She favored him with a dark look before he turned back the way he came, preferring the stark white of his room to the woman. Crawford would be most upset if he happened to kill the bitch.

Yuki smiled as the madman left, knowing full well what her presence did to his mind. His madness made him more open and sensitive to the auras of others, and hers would eat at him like a disease.  
With deliberate steps, she stood before the prone telepath, leaning forward until her nose was nearly touching his.

_::Schuldich::_

The German bolted upright, missing a collision with Yuki's face by mere centimeters. He groaned as his head throbbed unmercifully, as it had since he woke from his session with Aste. _::Leave me be, witch!::_

_::Or you'll what? Whine me to death?::_ A dark chuckle sounded through his head. His walls were virtually non-existent and she crept through the turns of his psyche like she was taking a stroll in the park. _::Did you find what I was looking for?::_

"Yes," he hissed aloud, the mental voice too much for his burned mind. "Brad found the owner and I did a little peeping on the security." His voice turned acid. "Nothing the great Yuki can't handle."

The tone did not affect her. "Well, since it is your hide that will be risked, Schuldich, I should hope it isn't anything you can't handle."

The German bit back his remark. It took energy to spar verbally, and he didn't want to waste any. He had a feeling that the next mission would prove challenging.

Yuki had drawn back from him and was pacing about the living room. He noted that her skin tone had gone from pale to zombie like in a matter of hours. She had used quite a bit of her own power contacting Aste and couldn't regain it as quickly as a living body.

"Yami no Hon. My Book of Darkness."

Yuki ignored the look on Schuldich's face. "It was lost during the turn of the century. I think it wasNagiwho dared touch it and take it from me." She laughed cruelly at the memory. "He was dying anyway, but used the rest of his life magic to hide the book. After his death, the others barely managed to keep me from summoning my demons."

Schuldich still found it disconcerting how Yuki knew so much about Nagi and Weiß, though he was sure the boy telekinetic had never even heard of the woman before Halloween. Still, he was tired of her never ending urge to hear herself talk. "How nice for them," he sighed as he tried to relax back into the chair, suddenly sure the only cure for his migraine would be a handful of Advil and a shot of Scotch.

The witch hissed in annoyance. "I am running out of time, Mastermind, as I'm sure you are aware." The voice changed suddenly, no longer cold, but false and sugary. "You are mine, Schuldich, body and soul."

The telepath flinched as paper dry lips pressed to his own, corpse like hands holding his head in a deceptively firm grip. His body began to burn and ache, and he lost the energy to fight. It was worse than natural exhaustion. She was stealing a part of his soul.

The contact was broken suddenly, and Schuldich opened his eyes enough to see Crawford standing between himself and the witch, body tense with challenge. Yuki was crouched on the floor, lazily licking the last essence of the German from her lips.  
_Now that's disgusting,_ he thought, and slipped mercifully into unconsciousness.

§§§§§

"Siberian, report."

Ken jumped slightly at Youji's voice in his earpiece, intent upon his surveillance of the subject. "Shigeru has retired for the evening. Security has been set around the collection, and guards are present. One in basement, three on upper levels, one on the perimeter of the house." He lowered the binoculars, placing in the bag at his side.

There was no real target other than the book; Shigeru had been a plant revealed by Nagi after Birman left. He recognized his old teammate's mental touch on the woman and they were surprised and thankful for the warning.

Ken winced when he thought of Nagi. The dark haired boy had been left behind at the flower shop, hacking skills put into use. Youji and Omi were slowly overcoming their trepidation concerning the former Schwarz, but instincts died hard, and they couldn't trust him at their backs. The boy had been bravely hiding his hurt when they left the shop.

So Nagi was left with taking care of the security remotely. Pressure sensors and lasers would be taken offline so the assassins could get in quickly.

Though it was simple breaking and entering, Weiß wasn't taking chances with Yuki's plan to acquire the book. She and the remains of Schwarz would be here as well, but hopefully long after Kritiker's assassins had cleared out.

"Siberian, check. I'm in position."

Ken nodded at Youji's words and turned from the large house where the collection was kept. Shigeru Minase was an antiques collector and completely legit in his dealings. He had purchased the Book of Darkness from a man in Kyoto, not understanding the true significance of the volume.

Youji was to enter the house from the basement, and neutralize security from there. Aya and Omi were poised to infiltrate from the roof and Ken was relegated to the front door.

He glanced at his watch. Nagi's voice crackled across the communications.

"Now."

With low strides, Ken dashed across the perimeter of the house, keeping to the deepest shadows and brush. He reached the front door with no problem. He watched the security guard pace with a bored expression, fifteen minutes into his shift and already yawning.

With long trained silence, Ken struck the guard with his sheathed fist, watching as the man blinked with surprise before falling unconscious. Without wasting a moment, he bound the man hand and foot, adding a gag for good measure. Wouldn't do to be found out before they had gotten the book.

"Lower level clear."

Aya's voice joined Youji's. "All guards present and neutralized. Security remains offline. Proceed to the collection wing."

"Ryoukai," Ken whispered, reaching down to search the guard's pockets. They would need keys and a coded card to get into the actual gallery, which only the front guard carried.

The dark haired assassin was thankful as the door opened without incident, fearing for a moment that Nagi's abilities couldn't match up to Omi's. So far the silent boy had kept up his part of the mission, without complaint. Whatever misgivings he may have had about helping his former enemies were kept to himself.

Ken ducked into the shadows of the doorway and proceeded to the rendezvous point.

§§§§§

Nagi forced himself to breathe as he listened on the open comm line for the mission details, entranced by the slight sighs that transmitted to him. His eyes were glued to Omi's laptop monitor as if he could follow the assassins vicariously as they carried out their mission.

The mansion was laid out before him in two dimensions, lines of red and green indicating live and "sleeping" security systems. To take the entire program offline would have alerted the authorities, so Nagi put the area with the gallery into a loop. The only problem with it was that it had to be chased around the loop; he had to constantly keep ahead or his team would be caught. He was also to keep an eye out for Yuki and Schwarz.

Ken was afraid that the witch would be depending on interference from her book to keep Weiß from realizing they were trapped. The book gave off such a tremendous aura that it masked all other minor magics near it. Even the Key would not be able to sense Yuki.

Nagi gasped as thoughts flickered across his mind, quicksilver and quiet. _::Schuldich?::_ There were no actual words, but the Japanese boy could feel the warning behind the touch.

"Ken? You've got company."

§§§§§

Aya was the first to reach the gallery, Omi posted at the stairs that led from their second story entrance. His katana rested at his side, hand testing the grip with uncharacteristic nervousness. The mission had been far too easy so far.

Easy missions were usually the messiest.

This one was no exception.

The red head glared into the collection room, violet eyes trained on the pale woman who stood just before a glass case, a triumphant smirk twisting her lips. A very unhappy looking German stood at her shoulder, with the American and madman a few paces back. It seemed that Schwarz had come to play as well.

Just then, his comm crackled to life. "Ken? You've got company."

Aya nodded at Nagi's words. "I'm looking at them."

Yuki didn't speak as she tapped the glass surrounding her book. Soundlessly, the structure returned to the sand it had been melted from, wires from the security system falling to the stand. She grasped the book with withered hands, fingers caressing the ancient script across the front.

"Yuki."

Aya hadn't even noticed the rest of his team standing at his back. Ken stepped forward and used the coded card to take off the laser ward that had trapped Aya from the gallery. He stepped forward as the witch hissed in anger, hands desperately searching the pages of the book for a spell.

Ken took another step before he found himself nose to nose with Schuldich, telepath grimacing and holding his temple. "She seems to think that I'm deaf mentally."

_::Nagi says thanks.::_

There was a moment of surprise before Ken found himself dodging swift blows, and the rest of Weiß pushed into the middle of the fray.

Omi charged for Yuki and the book when he was blocked by the maniacal knife play of Farfarello. He danced back, trying to gain the distance needed to use his darts.

Crawford once again found himself the target of the near fanatical swordsmanship of Aya, content to dodge the fevered thrusts. The red headed warlock growled in anger, unconsciously channeling his magic. He sought to snare the American in a web of power, but was frustrated as the man evaded the invisible threads.

"I know you are trying not to kill me," Crawford said, smiling at Aya's frustration. "However, I must warn you that I will kill you."

"You can try."

A wail cut across the room as Yuki found the book ripped from her hands, snared by the thin wire of Balinese. A torn page remained in her hands, crumpled with fury.

"Damn you, Weiß," she hissed. Youji merely smiled and pulled the book to him. Ken turned for a moment as he saw his teammate bend to retrieve the tome.

"Don't touch it!"

Schuldich took advantage of Ken's distraction, landing a hard left hook. The dark haired boy went down hard, hands flying to his head. Three other cries echoed, and the telepath looked up to see the others of Weiß in a weird pantomime of pain.

Balinese gripped the book with white knuckled hands, lips bleeding where his teeth had pierced skin. An unnatural wind sprung up at his feet, sweeping up and outward, driving everyone back with its force. Youji was screaming, his voice stolen by the roar of the wind.

§§§§§

Nagi screamed in pain, hands gripping his head. Memories slammed into his mind, harder than anyone else's. Something had forced Youji's memory to return, and he was living millennia in mere seconds.

He could hear the insane cry within his mind, the blonde screaming in agony. He was going mad with the power that had been forced into his body.

Nagi stepped across the connection, mentally embracing his traumatized companion. Pain flooded through his own mind, but his touch kept the assassin grounded to reality.

What seemed like an eternity later, the boy telekinetic found himself lying on Omi's floor, hands blistered. The connection had been broken forcefully and Nagi was thrown back into his own body. He winced as he sat back up, returning to the computer.

The magical web was weakened. He couldn't sense his team, and was blind as to what was happening in the mansion. The comm link had been fried by the power flowing through Youji's body.

_Damn._

§§§§§

Ken got to his feet, ignoring the shocked German sitting on his ass, wondering what had just happened. The dark haired assassin could see Yuki moving through the gale as easily as himself, fighting to reach the dark book in Youji's hands.

The wind died abruptly as Ken tackled Youji to the ground, the book skittering across the hard wood floor. The tall blonde was only half conscious, his hands raw and burned.

"My book..."

Ken started at the voice, watching as Yuki stalked towards the book. She seemed to have shrunk in on herself, body twisting. Her skin was marked with sores of rotting skin. She had used her magic to fight the protective wind, and her body was paying for it.

"Yamero!"

Time seemed to slow as Ken felt the Key step forward to take control, relegating him to a back area of his mind. The Key raised its hand and Yuki was thrown back to the other side of the gallery by a wall of force.

The remaining members of Schwarz found themselves in a similar situation as they were picked up and slammed into the back wall. Schuldich cursed vehemently, struggling against the telekinetic force that held him to the wall, about ten feet from the floor.

Yuki screamed in fury, but was too weak to fight against the spell. Weiß picked themselves up, Aya half carrying a groggy Youji as they joined the Key at the door to the gallery. Omi stood over the book, giving the Key a questioning look. Another gesture and the book flew into its hands, where he passed it to Aya.

"Omi cannot touch it. You and Youji can. Get it out of here."

The red head nodded and goaded Youji into a half run, heading for the back stairs to the basement. It was their backup escape route; apparently Shigeru was paranoid about being trapped in his home without an escape. A convenient tunnel had been built under the grounds that led to street level.

"Ken, watch out!"

It was Farfarello who came slashing out of the darkness, forgotten by the Key's unfamiliarity. The Key stumbled as agony burned through his side, the madman's blade burying itself in his abdomen.

The Key was in shock. It had never felt pain before, never felt the violation of steel through its skin. It fell back into Ken's mind, the boy screaming to the fore. The spell broke sharply, releasing Schwarz and Yuki from its hold.

Ken collapsed into Omi's arms, leaning heavily against his younger teammate. He was glad the connection had been shocked earlier and his pain didn't bleed into Omi's consciousness. Aya and Youji would be unaware as well.

Farfarello raised his arm to finish the job he began but was stayed by the frail, corpse like hand of the witch. He growled and backed away, contenting himself to lick the blade clean of Ken's blood.

"Crawford, Farfarello. Come with me."

Schuldich raised a questioning brow. Yuki was already out of the gallery, when she turned with the American and Irishman in tow. "He is helpless. Make sure he doesn't die." She smiled maliciously. "The child you can do with what you please."

Omi gasped as the trio disappeared, suddenly afraid that Yuki had gained more power than they thought. Ken coughed and shook his head.

"She merely quickened herself. Requires much less power than translocation."

"Bravo, katzen."

Omi looked up helplessly, the injured boy sprawled across his lap. His clothing stuck to his body with Ken's blood, warm and uncomfortable. The German knelt and placed his hands on the wound, pain from the sudden touch nearly causing Ken to black out.

"Why?" came the half conscious question.

Schuldich shook his head, his haughty expression falling into a frown. "Only one can reign in Hell, katzen. I don't want it to be that soul stealer." He smiled weakly. "And I for one don't like being used like a battery."

Omi fought to keep the tears from his eyes as Ken gave a low cry. The assassin was pale and cool, and rapidly falling into shock.

"C'mon, Hidaka! If what Yuki says about the Key is right, you should be able to take worse damage than a little knife wound."

Ken struggled to speak. "The Key...is scared. It doesn't know...what happened It's never been hurt before."

Schuldich seemed to consider the words. "Hmm. So tell me, Hidaka. Are the five of you enough to defeat her?"

Ken nodded, eyes closing as he gave up on trying to remain awake. Omi shook him roughly, sure that if he didn't wake up now, he never would. He started as he felt Schuldich's sticky hand on his cheek.

"Sorry, chibi."

And he screamed.

§§§§§

Youji clutched the book to his chest, stumbling along behind Aya. His head pounded in time with his heart, making it difficult to concentrate on the dark form leading the way.

The tall assassin found himself in a kind of daze, half lost in the memories that the book had shocked back to the surface. He was brought back as he nearly ran into Aya's back, the other boy standing defensively between Youji and the three figures that had materialized from the darkness.

Yuki stepped into the small light of the tunnel. Youji was shocked with how...zombie like she seemed, her skin gray and stretched across the bones of her frame. Her hair was dull, and missing in patches. She was using up her energy in her desperation to retrieve the book.

"Give me my book."

Youji smirked, holding up the volume. "This book? Sorry, lady, I'm gonna have to see your library card."

Aya hissed in warning, arm coming up in a warding gesture. Without thinking, Youji placed his hand on the red head's shoulder, connecting their auras.

"How nice. Weiß has become one happy family yet again."

_::Youji...::_

The blond started at the voice in his head, emerald eyes narrowing as he realized it was Yuki. Her mental voice was a paper dry as her real one, weak as she tried to break his barriers.

_::Open the book, Youji. You can feel it calling for you. It can be your book as well as mine::_

Youji shook his head, hand drawing back from Aya's shoulder. Aya turned to watch his teammate fall to his knees, book clutched to his chest. "Youji?"

Yuki walked forward slowly, Crawford watching with detached interest. The witch was playing a dangerous mind game with a warlock who had a full coven to back him up. If Youji decided to cast a spell, they could all be ash in moments.

_::Open the book. See for yourself. The Yami no Hon can give you power beyond imagining. Enough to stop me. Enough to save Ken.::_

Youji could feel the compulsion coming upon his mind, and knew it wasn't from Yuki alone. The book itself begged to be opened, to be used. Its power was his for the taking

Aya shouted in warning as Youji opened the book, light flaring from the pages. Agony flooded his mind as the blond assassin was assaulted by the black magic.

Yuki sighed with pleasure as the dark magic flowed into her wasted body, returning her youthful appearance almost immediately. "It is _my_ book, Kudou. Only dark witches may use it without pain."

Aya looked up sharply, a desperate idea forming in his mind. He reached across the connection, searching for the buried spark that was the 'personality' of the Key. Though Ken and the Key were bound together, the joining was so new that it was like they were still two separate entities.

_::Key.::_ he whispered, still afraid that Ken would sense his purpose.

_::Aya?::_ came the strange response, in a voice that was Ken and not Ken.

_::Can you get them out here?::_

Aya could sense the Key's questioning frown. _::What of you?::_

The red head smiled sadly. _::Tell Ken I'll be waiting for him.::_

_::Hai.::_

Aya shuddered as the Key's power surrounded him and Youji, lines of magic flaring sharply in the half-light. Translocation required massive power and skill; no warlock tried it without his coven. Yuki screamed as she was burned by her proximity to the white power, and Youji found the book being ripped from his hands by Aya's pale ones.

"Tell Ken I love him, Youji."

Youji couldn't respond as he felt himself entering the nothing world of being between the here and there, leaving Aya behind.

§§§§§

Nagi fell to the floor as white magic flooded his body, making his skin feel too small. He could see his companions as they were drawn into the between, using him as an anchor for their destination.

With a slam of displaced air, three bodies formed, coalescing from the beyond.

Nagi was the first to move, crawling to Ken's side. His limbs felt like jelly, body uncomfortably empty as the magic drained back into the natural world. It was worse than when he had recovered from his bullet wound. He gasped at the blood soaking the boy's clothing, lifting the shirt to see a half healed wound. The skin was already knitting itself back together, the flow of blood becoming a slow ooze.

The dark haired telekinetic reached across Ken's body, tugging on Omi's arm. It took all his willpower not to sink into the overwhelming exhaustion his movements brought. He sighed thankfully as the other boy began to stir, dim consciousness becoming brighter in the connection. Omi's memories had been returned as well, dug out of his past by Schuldich's less than gentle methods.

The boy blinked with hazy blue eyes, struggling to sit up. Panic lent him strength as he checked for Ken's pulse, happy to feel the vein throbbing beneath his fingers. Nagi nodded towards Youji, too tired to move further than the dark haired boy he lay across.

Omi rolled over carefully, wincing with the movement. Youji was stirring slightly, hand going to his head. The young assassin heard him muttering something about a license plate and truck.

"Where's Aya-kun?" Nagi whispered, looking about the room in confusion. The spell was flavored with the red head's touch, direct and powerful. He had cast the spell...but not come himself.

Omi's voice was thick with tears as he realized what Aya had done. "The book. Kami, she has Aya and the book."

::for madiha ­ you rock!::

::always ­ tschubi-chan and speare::

::not to be confused with the doujinshi _yami no hon_::

::music inspiration: oasis, miserable, vanilla, kimi no tame ni dekiru koto ­ gackt:: 


	10. Judas' Strings

Clavicula Nox  
Ten: Judas' Strings

§§§§§

Youji exhaled heavily, sighing a ring of gray smoke into the darkened room. He waited for the aggravated response from the too still figure on the bed, but merely took another drag as no rant was forthcoming.

Ken had been catatonic for hours, his eyes fixed on the ceiling with terrifying intensity. The blue green was awash with misery, cracked lips moving in a silent litany that you didn't have to read lips to understand.

_Aya._

The dark haired assassin had been whispering the word since regaining his slight form of consciousness. He woke screaming Aya's name, as his teammates lay in an exhausted tangle on Omi's floor. Youji nearly broke his arm trying to hold the distressed boy down, and received a fist across the cheek for his trouble. Omi had jumped in quickly, a sleep spell dragging Ken into his catatonic stupor.

Nagi had explained something about Ken's soul searching for the presence he had come to know as the red haired Aya, the essence he had tied his own life power to.

The living Key had trapped himself on a plane beyond the living world; a place where the natural magic of life threaded together, and where the damaged web of Weiß' power lay. Youji could sense the broken edge of Aya's thread, the connection frayed and fading with each passing moment.

Youji cursed, pounding his fist against the doorframe. It had taken so long for their circle to come together and now it had been shattered in a matter of hours. Yuki could walk in and take the Key; the coven had been drained of their powers by the translocation, and needed more time than they had to recover. Time was not on their side as the period in which Yuki had to reclaim the Key drew to a close.

_::The witch was desperate. Nagi clutched the leatherbound volume to his chest, hands singed by the dark magic effusing from the pages of the book. The warlock winced as the air exploded with heat, Yuki releasing her lifeforce in one concentrated attack._

_Before he died, Nagi poured his own life down through the aura of the book, sublimating the dark with his light...::_

"Youji?"

Omi's voice was soft as he touched his teammate's arm hesitantly. The blonde blinked blearily, still shaken with the strange memories that surfaced at unexpected moments.

He turned to Omi, emerald eyes softening as he followed the boy's gaze to their fallen member. They had all taken to watching Ken, even though it was clear the boy wasn't going anywhere.

"Hai?" His voice was rough from his vigil. None of them spoke, knowing that Ken's mind was buried deep within the web and couldn't respond to the heart wrenching sadness in their pleas.

Youji looked down as something was pushed into his palm. It sparked with energy, making his skin tingle unpleasantly. It was a folded sheet of paper, even though it had been crumpled at one point. Dark brown ink stained the edges, smearing onto the words. He touched the ink briefly before realizing what it really was.

Ken's blood.

Omi's voice was hushed. "It's a page from the yami no hon. Yuki tore it when you took the book. I think Schuldich managed to slip it onto my jacket before we..."

_Abandoned Aya..._ Youji's mind was quick to fill in. Guilt had wormed itself into his mind, worrying at the edge of his awareness. If he hadn't been stupid enough to give into the book's persuasion

"It's not your fault."

Youji managed a weak smile. "Stop reading my mind, chibi. You may not like what you find there."

The ghostly echo of his grin touched Omi's lips. It faded quickly and he motioned back to the paper. "Nagi managed to translate some of the text. The book of darkness is only half of what Yuki needs to get the Key."

Neat handwritten Latin text caught the tall assassin's eye. The language hadn't been spoken in eons and yet the words were translated in the blonde's mind as quickly as they were read. "Mors? Death?" Youji studied the dark charcoal lines that had been scratched across the ancient vellum. The depiction looked like a staff, easily as long as Youji was tall. The crown was marked with the wrought word, lost within runes that enchanted the object.

"From what I can remember, it's made from the fragment of an object that once housed the Key. It can be used to draw out the power and contain it."

Hope flared briefly within Youji's heart, but was quickly crushed as Omi continued. "It would kill Ken. He isn't just possessed by the Key. He _is _the Key. It'd be like ripping out his heart."

"Attractive analogy, chibi."

There was no humor in his reply. "I try, Youji." He turned away. "C'mon. We need to plan...somehow, we'll get Aya back, Youji." He touched the older assassin's arm, willing his own faith to reach his friend.

Emerald eyes flashed with determination. "Yes, we will." He regarded his fallen teammate, hands itching to brush through the tossed brown locks, to bring some comfort to the tortured boy. "Sore wa yakusoku yo."

§§§§§

_::Blood. Hair. That which comprises you. That which makes you mine.::_

He stirred slightly as he felt a touch at his face, a cool hand burying itself in his hair. He couldn't feel the sting as the strands were pulled too tight; it was as if his pain nerves had been disconnected. He knew that someone had drawn a knife across his palm, but no sensation accompanied the action. Blood oozed quickly, streaming between his fingers.

Figures moved in and out of his vision, his eyes filmed by the spell he could feel insinuated into his very skin. Orange firelight was the pinpoint in his vision, a dark shadowed hunched in front.

Another shadow stood at his side, unfocused yet familiar. He could make out hair that matched the flames, mouth drawn in a sharp frown.

_::Awake, Weiß?::_

The comment cut gently through the spell, bringing Aya back into himself. Pain flooded his mind, his hand burning with the strange knife wound. _::Schuldich?::_ He found himself standing nude before the fire, his hands and feet free. His body was stiff with shock and disuse; he met a blank wall of memory as he tried to recall anything beyond grabbing the book from Youji's burned hands.

The figure turned carefully, always watching the shadow at the fire. _::Aya. What a pleasant...::_

Screams echoed through his mind and he watched the German stumble back in agony. His face was hidden beneath a curtain of hair, but Aya could hear slight whimpers of breath as he knelt on the ground.

His concern evaporated as the spell replaced itself, a thick fog creeping into the deepest corners of his mind. This time it seemed there would be no returning.

§§§§§

"We can't leave him here alone!"

Youji took a long drag on his cigarette as he watched the indignant telekinetic. The boy stood stiff at the end of the kitchen, facing down the remainder of his coven. The blonde had a sudden vision of himself being tossed into the furthest wall and held there by a warlock who was quite sure of his abilities.

_::Just try it, chibi.::_

Nagi flushed a deep crimson, realizing that his thoughts were no longer private from his once enemies. He threw himself into the nearest chair, arms crossed over his chest. He could feel his lower lip falling into a pout, but at this point it didn't matter what the others seemed to think of him. He seemed to be the only one who thought that nothing took priority over protecting Ken and the Key.

"Look," the blonde said as he leaned forward to ash his cigarette. He sighed heavily, feeling Nagi's rage still beating against his mental shields. "The coven is ruined. To get the Mors staff we'll need all the power we have."

Nagi shook his head, dark locks falling about his drawn face. Exhaustion had taken its toll on them all. The ex-Schwarz seemed to be holding together better than Omi and Youji. The tall assassin had already filled and emptied his ashtray twice in the past couple hours, and Omi's tawny head rested on the kitchen table.

Nagi's head fell back and he gazed upward as if he could see though the ceiling into Ken's room. "He's defenseless."

Omi's reasonable voice cut in, tainted with sadness. His head came up off the table to meet the eyes of his teammates. "There are no more choices, Nagi. We can't take him with us and we must get the Mors before Yuki."

Youji felt the anger drain out of the boy, and accepting desperation in its place. After an uncomfortable moment, the blonde cleared his throat. "Anyone know how to find it?"

§§§§§

"You're playing with fire Schuldich."

Though his tone was chiding, Crawford wasn't even mildly annoyed with the red head's attempts at distracting and baiting Yuki. The witch had taken an unnatural liking to torturing the telepath, breaking his shields and draining him. The German's almost childish antics ate away at the time remaining to the witch before her stolen body atrophied to the point of uselessness and her soul was lost to the ether until the next rebirth.

The American sighed and replaced the cold cloth on the German's forehead. Schuldich groaned. "Thanks, Mom."

The German was stretched along the couch in their safe house, lights off and shades tightly drawn. He had been drifting in and out of consciousness since the incident with the Weiß, interfering with Yuki's spell.

Crawford cast a glance over his shoulder, flinty gaze settling on the blank faced figure of Aya, the red head sitting impossibly still in a chair opposite the Schwarz pair. Yuki had not explained what was done to the assassin; his blood and hair collected and burned, catalyst for one of the witch's twisted spells. The said witch knelt at the assassin's feet, hands stroking the unresponsive boy's hands in the perversion of a caress.

Yuki touched the marble-esque Aya, her hands dry and old against the cool skin of the spellbound assassin. She could feel Crawford trying to burn his gaze through her back, but his minor magic was a bare flicker in the presence of her own and the dormant Weiß.

Her magic was waning quickly; she relied heavily on the energy she was able to drain from the fiery telepath. The anger in his soul made him a nearly endless fountain of pure dark magic. But she couldn't take much more from him or he would be useless to her final plan.

His lifeforce and those of his remaining team would be used to rip the Key from the mortal shell it had taken and trap it once again in the Mors staff. That had been her deal with Aste. Schwarz would be completely drained for her final rise to power...enough power to deal with the upstart Rosenkreuz who thought to control her.

Still, Aste was not her true problem. Weiß was her only resistance throughout the centuries, the white warlocks sacrificing themselves lifetime after lifetime in order to keep her darkness from overwhelming the world.

And now she had their lives in her hand.

"Schuldich, are you ready?"

_::No.::_

Yuki cackled, pulling Aya to stand with her. "Good." She turned to Crawford. "Any moment now, the Weiß will discover the Mors staff's location. You and the bastard Irishman will follow and retrieve." Her voice became nothing more than a dangerous hiss. "Kill them."

The American did not reply, cool gaze locked on Schuldich's face. The vision flashes he had been suffering since first encountering the body stealing witch were unreliable, and changed just as soon as he had the chance to understand the first. His powers would not help him here. He knew of two possible outcomes for his night's mission, and neither was a desirable future in which to find himself.

He nodded to the German and helped him up. Schuldich gave a long groan as he made a show of rising from the couch, drying cloth still held to his forehead. The American squeezed his shoulder, hoping to communicate to his teammate what he always expected of missions in which the German was involved.

_Change our future, Schuldich. I'm counting on you._

§§§§§

Youji looked up at the building in disbelief. It was a twenty story glass monolith, the width of only one room and a hall. It was a new addition of the waning business district, a shining attraction for entrepreneurs searching for office space.

One such entrepreneur resided on the penthouse floor...and the fate of the known world hung in a decorative stand in the narrow lobby four floors below.

It had taken a flash of insight on Omi's part, and some of Youji's knowledge of cheesy American horror films to work out a way to seek the Mors staff. The spell itself was relatively simple. All they required was a pendulum and something belonging to the Key.

It was best to use a pure element for a pendulum, to prevent any interference from other materials. That was simple enough to acquire; Youji volunteering a silver cross pendant for the seeking. The breakthrough had come when Omi realized that any part of Ken was also a part of the Key.

Youji realized with a chill that that was why Yuki hadn't taken the staff. They had Ken and the only means to seek it. It also meant that they would be leading her straight to the item she needed to kill their teammate and take over the world.

Nagi had sat in the center of the living room, the furniture cleared to the walls. A large map of Tokyo took up the floor in front of him. They debated on whether or not to include the whole of Japan, but decided that Yuki could not try for something that wasted too much time to acquire.

Youji wove Ken's hair into the chain of the necklace, spell words whispering from his lips. Nagi took the makeshift pendulum and held it over the map. Omi took Youji's hand, and began to repeat the seeking spell.

"Reveal to us what is hidden."

The lines on the map began to glow slightly, casting an unhealthy pallor over Nagi's already pale face. The pendulum swung faster, heavy metal spinning frantic circles above the paper. With a flare of magic, the cross became suddenly still, straight above Youji's current location on the map.

Nagi and Omi were already on the roof, rappelling down four stories to the seventeenth floor where they would find the staff. Youji was only lookout. And a nervous lookout at that.

His earpiece crackled with Omi's voice. "We're in."

"Hai," was the brief reply, and Youji shook himself with the sudden feeling of this-is-way-too-easy that crept along his spine.

He looked up the building again, missing the pair of eyes that watched from the shadows.

§§§§§

It was eerily silent outside the Koneko, the street devoid of even the most die hard night owls. Three figures stood on the deserted sidewalk, black clad against the autumn wind.

They were conspicuous and still no one would have noticed them on a bright day in a crowd.

Schuldich nodded to the pale boy at his side, taking command of the assassin's pliant mind. Blood red hair flared in the light of the street lamp before becoming lost in the darkness of the shop, slipping easily through the doors of the home that he no longer recognized.

The telepath put a cigarette to his lips, but didn't bother to light it. His outward calm was the hardest mask he had ever worn. Inside, his mind was bent to Aya's guiding every step the assassin made up the stairs to his lover's room.

He spared a glance at Yuki. She was tense, staring at the flower shop as if to see through its walls.

"Wait for the signal," she whispered.

Schuldich didn't know what signal she meant.but was sure it would come with screaming recognition when the time came.

§§§§§

He couldn't remember how long he had been in the darkness or if it had always been. He had a strange sense that this place was not where he belonged, but only where he found himself.

It wasn't true darkness. It was like the false black found when one closed one's eyes, with bright flashes of color that bloomed and faded, without providing real illumination. He was surrounded by power, but whenever he tried to tap it, his hands passed through without so much as a tingle.

He did not belong here. But he also knew that he didn't have the strength to pull himself from the burning chill that had enraptured itself in his soul.

_::Ken...::_

The voice was warmth in the cold within his mind, a flame to tempt him from the darkness. He recognized the presence; blind to the world and he would know that touch of the soul he had joined himself to.

"Aya..."

The words were dry, dragged from a throat that hadn't spoken in almost a day. Blue green eyes struggled to blink as Ken fought to return from his vigil on the natural plane, throwing off the nether darkness like a cloak. Consciousness came in a stunning moment of confusion.

_::Ken...::_

The dark haired assassin moved in the haze that remained, his body detached from his will. Ken felt like an observer in his own skin, dimly aware as he sat up in the bed, pulling aside the blankets. His eyes focused on the furthest corner of his room, waiting for the form to emerge from the shadows.

Aya.

The very one he had searched so hard for...returned...

::for tschubi-chan and portia - the end is nigh!::

::for madiha - you still rock::

::musical inspiration - dark angel by vnv nation (if not for that song, this chapter would never have happened!):: 


	11. Eleven::Blood To Run

Clavicula Nox

Part Eleven: Blood to Run

  
- - - - - 

"This is way too easy," Nagi whispered an echo of Youji's earlier observation as his slim hands pulled open the glass door of the display case. The Mors staff was inches from his grasp and there had been no sign of neither security nor Yuki. He could see pale blue lines, visible only to his and his coven's eyes, where Omi had set wards between the slim wires snaking along the creases of the four glass panes and the main alarm. Nagi's hands passed easily through the crisscross of magic, taking a tentative grip on the shaft of the spear, and lifting it from the thin guide wires and molded frame.

He kept his own wards, subtle variations of Omi's, which would alert him to any one who possessed even strong reiki trying to gain entrance to the office floor. Still, the lack of guard on the item in hand unsettled him. It seemed that the staff was either of little value to its owner or so heavily insured that theft would be welcome.

Mental agreement drifted from the assassin waiting in the doorway of the lobby. Omi knelt low behind the wall, bow cocked against his black clad chest. Only the quicksilver glints of light on the heads of his arrow gave away his presence and he merely glanced back to watch Nagi take the long silver shaft of the Mors in his hand.

The former Schwarz was surprised by how ordinary the staff felt, lighter than expected but not unusually so. The length was smooth and polished, of what seemed to be well cared for iron, tapering to a fine spear-like point. He could read the letters at the head, tracing the death word with curious fingers. You'd think that an object that had once contained unimaginable power would be more...extraordinary.

"Let's not push our luck, kid," came Youji's gentle chide in his ear, breaking the eerie silence. Nagi blushed slightly as he realized that he had broadcasted his thoughts, then nodded and closed the case behind him. His partner stood as he heard the catches take on the glass, Nagi's signal that they would be moving out. Blue wards faded out as if they had never been and no one would even suspect the staff was gone until someone returned the next day.

Omi crossed the carpet from the door to Nagi quickly, still untrusting of the ease of their theft. The young warlock didn't ask to see the staff and made no move to remove it from the dark haired boy's hands.

They made their way back to the slim oval they had carefully cut into the huge pane of glass. Nagi didn't hesitate as he stepped out, nothing between him and seventeen stories of air except his incredible powers. Omi marveled at the feat before following with confidence, his awakened memories reassuring him that Nagi would never let him fall.

- - - - -

Crawford ignored the pain growing in his neck as he gazed up the building, watching for the figures he knew would be emerging at any moment. He did not need to see into the building to be able to account for Nagi and Omi's movement almost breath for breath. His vision had been exceptionally clear of late, especially concerning the events that were beginning to shape the future.

He enjoyed the pleasure/pain of the sight, since it was all but gone when in the presence of the dark witch seeking to bring the world to a darker fate than even Schwarz had planned at one time. Still, his interference now would hopefully put his mark on things to come.

His near inhuman patience was rewarded as two black marks, darker than the sky around them, climbed out of the window into the air.

Farfarello made a strangely amazed sound next to him, drawn blade glinting as its edge bit into his tongue. "Time?"

"No quite yet," was the patient reply.

- - - - -

"Aya..."

Fleeting emotions warred across Ken's mind, held at bay by the warlock's sudden arousal in Aya's presence. A small voice seemed to whisper in the furthest corners of his consciousness, encouraging his mindless lust. An even smaller voice beat useless protest against the invading influence.

He took Aya's hand, gasping with the jolt of pleasure that flashed through his body, every cell open as their auras crashed together and poured magic into needy souls. _This is right...this is what I have been looking for..._

Aya took Ken's place on the bed, empty eyes never leaving the hazy blue gray of his prey. Had he been aware, he would have known that the voice in Ken's head was the same that pulled his own strings, a connection through the spell that kept his soul dormant. His only purpose now was to seduce the boy before him, and part of him wanted nothing more.

Ken panted as he was drawn onto Aya's lap, lips aching from the strong sucking kisses of his absent lover. His mind was still partly fuzzy, swirling with the disbelief that Aya had returned to him. It did not occur to him to wonder how or why; nothing broke through the fiery desire that consumed his soul.

Deft lips trailed across his neck and shoulders, nipping just hard enough to cause a jolt of pleasurable pain. His fingers tangled in the silk of his partner's hair and he arched forward to bring as much of his own body into contact with the pale skin of the boy holding him as was humanly possible. Aya growled as he moved, his own hands tugging on the chocolate tresses of his lover, forcing his head back.

His tongue danced across the throbbing life a mere cell's breadth away from his teeth. He longed to claim this boy, to share in the blood that made his body sing with strength. His will was restrained by something beyond his own; it was nearly painful to fight against the compulsion to tease the other and nothing more.

_Wait_ ...

His mind urged against his body's instinct. The voice was a constant mantra against the rage and lust, forcing him to obey. Another voice fought against his actions, but in a flash was gone, leaving nothing but a guilty echo.

- - - - -

Moments come and go with clarity and a haze of unimportance. Most would not realize the importance of one moment, to the next, subsumed by the parade of time in which they moved. Brad Crawford was painfully aware of moments, tiny snatches of time flashing through his mind. A fine line lay between each, a fragile string that once touched, repercussed the entire stream, ripples that tore moments apart and rebuilt new too quickly for even his experience to follow.

He could feel the tension along the moments, waiting for the energy to snap. Anything he did here could rebound horribly, setting events into motion that would allow Yuki her plans with no resistance. A knife's edge too soon, and one would die who should not, too late, and they all died.

His divided his focus between the warlocks slowly descending the building and the visions he had nearly memorized, but he was always aware of the moments he now had a hand in.

For the first time, Crawford would give those moments the strength to shatter and build anew, acutely aware of which moment to choose...

Crawford didn't even have to speak as Farfarello caught the change in his body language, a slight shift from anticipation to the relaxed form of knowing that his future was about to unfold. Without a word, the pale Irishman was loping along the building, knives held back in preparation for a deep strike. No light could give a telltale glitter on the deadly blades.

The American counted silently in his head, matching what he was now watching with what he had already seen played out in his mind. With an ever-present color of eerie déjà vu, the future melded itself to the present and Oracle gasped as the tension strained...and gave...

- - - - -

"When will I know?" Schuldich asked impatiently, nerves frayed by the constant touch on Aya's mind. The mindless assassin was locked in a parody of lust, induced by the German. At one time, Schuldich would have enjoyed himself to no end to be so deep in control of one of the Weiß, but the spell reeked of Yuki's touch and it seemed to poison his connection, leaving some of her foul mark on his own mind.

Ken's mind was fuzzy at best, natural shields non-existent after wandering the between for so long. A little influence there had been more than enough to push the warlock into Yuki's trap. He was sure that he could have led Ken out of the building by the nose and had no one the wiser, but to hold him...as the Key...the spell would take any thought of fighting back out of that boy's mind.

Yuki's smile was chilling, her eyes glittering in the dark. "Oh, you'll know."

- - - - -

_So simple,_ Farfarello chuckled to himself, fingers dancing about the blade in his hand. The Weiß wasn't even cautious, attention focused on his two partners descending the sky above him.

Three more lunging steps and he was upon his prey, Crawford's admonition ringing through the bloodlust in his mind.

_Don't kill the Weiß!_

It took a supreme effort of will, but the blade made a low arc, swinging away from the fatal strike to the heart intended to a less dangerous, though no less painful leg wound.

Youji screamed as a lance of red-hot agony flared up his leg, Farfarello's knife buried to the hilt in his thigh.

The Irishman danced away as quickly as he had come, loping back toward Crawford before the assassin had even hit the pavement.

- - - - -

Omi and Nagi echoed Youji's cry, their agony twisted with terror as Nagi's concentration was broken and they began to plummet to the concrete below.

- - - - -

Pure agony ripped through Ken's frame and his scream echoed those ringing in his head.

_:Now:_ Schuldich shouted into Aya's shocked mind, his connection with the coven still strong enough for the surprising pain to reach through the spell. Aya bit down hard, teeth scoring his own tongue, He grabbed Ken's shoulder, covering the screaming mouth with bloody lips.

Ken choked as Aya's blood tainted his mouth and he couldn't help but swallow the copper fluid.

Another voice joined Ken's in agony as dark energy swept through his very soul, binding the assassin's consciousness, and trapping the Key within the body's mindscape.

Youji's pain disappeared in a spiral of darkness as Ken and Key fell into Aya's arms, mind surrounded by the net of Yuki's spell.

Aya rose silently, cradling the form in his arms. His blank violet eyes did not see the lines of etched suffering on his lover's face, nor hear the small whimpers of pain that escaped the pale lips. His steps carried them both to the street, coming to a stop just in front of Yuki and Schuldich, the German massaging his temple with one hand.

Ken was set on his feet, eyes opening hazily. Yuki took his hand like a child, hand caressing his slack cheek. Aya made no move from where he had stopped, still tangled in the spell.

"What do you want me to do with him?" Schuldich asked curtly, gesturing at the still spellbound Aya.

_Please...don't ask me to kill him. A wrench in the works is not what we need right now..._

If Yuki sensed Schuldich's guilty plea, she made no indication. Ken's hand firmly held in her own, she turned away, her voice a ghostly whisper as they disappeared into the darkness.

"Leave him. Let him live with the guilt."

Schuldich shrugged and leaned close to the frozen assassin, lips brushing the cool cheek. _:Do be a white knight and save the world, ne:_

The red head crumpled to the ground, falling as a stringless puppet. The nude form shuddered slightly in the cold and with more care than he would ever have witnessed by his team, Schuldich covered him with his favorite green jacket, tucking it around the tapered torso.

He regarded his fallen enemy for a moment before flickering away to join the darkness.

_:...remember...:_

- - - - -

Awareness came in gradual steps, from a darkness not unlike that from which everything had been born more years than ago than man had record of. This darkness was primal and personal, the inner sanctum of a human soul forced to bear another's will.

The Key blinked hazily, trying to clear away the fog of the spell currently ensorceling Ken's mind. It allowed the Key to step away from the shared consciousness, and sift through mutual memories of what had brought it here.

Here was the darkness of Ken's mind, the deepest corners where fears tended to lay hidden in wait. It glanced about for a desperate moment before Ken's form faded into view above, as if it were looking from the bottom of a pool. The assassin lay just out of reach, still but breathing.

It stared in confused silence at the figure before it, a sharp pang of sympathy ripping through its heart. _Our heart_, it corrected, reaching a tentative hand up towards the boy whose visage had become his own. Pale digits stopped just short of the mirrored surface of the spell, somehow lacking the courage needed to take the last steps into his other's world.

_:Ken...:_ it whispered, willing the gray eyes to open. The assassin was bound in black steel chains, a mental image of the spell passed from Aya to Ken. His arms were spread to either side, skin pale beneath the obsidian coils that were tight about his muscles. The links passed through his skin to join bone and again exiting to a source somewhere in the dark. He was on his knees, nude in what seemed to be a lake of water black enough to be oil.

His head hung low between his bound shoulders, facing down to his reflection, a reflection that stared back in worry. Blood seemed everywhere at once, flowing sluggishly from the marks of the chains winding their way through his inner body. It dripped into the pool, ripples obscuring Ken's pained face from his frantic twin.

The Key watched up through the surface, the nimbus of dream and reality that had separated their two beings enough to retain the identity of Ken and Key, for the first time since its calling from the Void. It was shocking to be thrust back into itself...and yet still very much a part of the boy above.

_:We are one...:_

Curiosity was a new emotion. Innumerable eons before, witches and warlocks had woken it, forced it to become separate from the magic of the universe, made it different, weaker, and yet more powerful. It was aware, as most magic was not. Still, it was inhuman to the affairs of humans, an emotionless tool to be used, for either good or evil.

Now it was trapped. No, _he_ was trapped. Caught within a human shell, assaulted with memories, emotions... He found himself twisting and molding to the soul sharing the body. He wanted to _know_, to experience...

:_:I want to _understand...

Ken's head lifted with a pained groan, eyes shut tight against the burning in his shoulders and back. The physical pain seemed just as real, even trapped in his head. Here in his mind he was merely human; the coven may as well be in America for all he could sense.

His stomach turned as he realized that the chains were not merely binding his arms, but passing _through_ the skin. The spell had been cast with blood, shared willingly or no, and held him fast.

He suddenly noticed that he was looking down at himself, but a self without chains or the marks of Yuki's magic. His reflections face wore a saddening frown, brows drawn in confused furrows.

_:I don't understand.:_

Ken smiled ruefully. The Key's plain question echoed many in his own head, mostly unanswerable. "What don't you understand?"

It was only after he asked it, that he realized that the question was not really a simple one. The Key had been nothing more than an amalgamation of power with no will of its own. It had no need to breathe, eat, or sleep. It had never had a face to look back in a mirror. It had had no words with which to express itself.

The Key frowned again, looking like a petulant child told to do something he had no intention of doing. _:I have endangered you. The others...Aya:_ Another puzzle to twist itself though its mind. It had never known care for the human who used it, no matter what end. _:Am I sorry:_

The Key paused at the question, frown deepening. _:I don't...I don't want to end..._.: Blue gray eyes met their twin's searchingly. :_To die. I don't want to die..._.:

Ken laughed mirthlessly, closing his eyes to block out the fear in the other's face. The laugh died into a serene smile. "Me either, friend, me either."

- - - - -

It was a dangerously quick return to the Koneko, Omi nursing a surly Youji in the back seat. Nagi drove confidently though, pausing only to smirk that he now had Youji's infamous driving skills. Neither passenger was sure that was a reassurance or a threat.

It had been a messy scene with Farfarello, Youji helplessly bleeding on the pavement even as Omi and Nagi fell from the sky. A last minute save by Nagi had kept them from becoming mere smears on the concrete, but not enough to save the dark haired 'kinetic a sprained wrist and Omi a couple of abraded knees.

Focused on their companion's agony spreading through the web, Nagi could barely fight back as his former teammate delivered a viscous kick to his ribs and tore the Mors staff from his suddenly numb fingers.

They hadn't wasted a moment chasing the Irishman. His presence meant that Yuki had what she needed, with one catalyst sitting alone in the Koneko.

The Seven came to a screeching halt, throwing Youji's leg into the back of the seat. He bit back a cry, not willing to waste the moment it would take to at least stop the bleeding. They pulled each other from the car as hastily as they could, each younger boy a crutch beneath the lanky assassin's arms.

Three steps later brought them to a shocked stop.

Omi's arm tightened momentarily before loosening, the boy dashing to Aya's side. Crimson hair spilled across the lamp shined pavement, Aya's body stark against the darkness. A single rivulet of blood had dried at one corner of his lips, the only mark on his skin.

"Holy shit! Aya..."

Omi's fingers moved quickly, pulling back the suspicious green coat to check the fallen assassin's pulse. It beat slowly, as if Aya were sleeping. A gently slap on either cheek caused the tall boy to groan, violet eyes opening with shock. He was on his feet before Omi could protest, not even aware that he was now completely naked before his team.

"Ken?"

Youji shook his head, using his unoccupied arm to dig out a cigarette from the inner pocket of his trench coat. Nagi even provided a small flame from one fingertip. "We lost the Mors." He winced, as if remembering exactly how they had lost the staff. His own guilt mingled with Aya's at losing Ken...no, at having betrayed the one true thing in his life.

Aya's eyes become cold amethyst. Only one chance now.

"I know where they are."

:title from bring me to life by evanescence:

:to madiha, tschubi-chan, and portia - an even dozen : 


	12. Twelve::Saishuushou

Clavicula Nox

Twelve: Saishuushou

- - - - -

Crawford pushed his glasses up on his nose, watching with a building sense of dread as Farfarello placed the last candle at the edge of the pentagram. Outwardly, he was still locked in the calm visage he had taken years at Rosenkreuz to develop, but inwardly, he was seething. His powers were being blocked again, leaving him to swim along in the stream of events like an ordinary human.

He took his frustration out on the building, glaring impotently at half reformed wreckage. Rosenkreuz had more than kept their end of the bargain, clearing and partially rebuilding the original site of the spell. Ground stone had been meticulously laid to complete the warding that would prevent anyone from getting into the center...or anything from getting out. What remained of the original building was supported by endless lines of wood and steel scaffolding and lattice work to restore some sense of stability for one last night.

Crawford's skin crawled with the power that still effused from the very air surrounding the miscarried summons. The entire site reeked of magic, black and white. It was chillingly similar to the temple of the Triad, as they cast their sabotaged spell.

A short whisper of feet on the still dirt covered floor announced Yuki's return. Schuldich followed sulkily, leading a clearly spellbound Weiß behind him. Ken was haphazardly dressed in an ill-fitting white shirt and dark pants. A mirthless message from Schuldich said that they had walked almost the entire way from the Koneko before Yuki could be convinced that leaving the boy nude would cause more problems than they had time for. The German had 'acquired' the clothes from a passing youth who would wake in an alley to find himself a victim of a mugging.

Not that it would matter much if Yuki succeeded tonight. Mugging would certainly be the least of their worries.

The witch had changed into an outfit of black silk, a twin to the one her borrowed body had been found in after Farfarello had dragged her from under the wreckage.

Schuldich led the half conscious Ken to the center of the ward, the boy lying down without complaint. His arms and legs were bound to iron spikes driven into the concrete and secured with new leather thongs. Crawford saw the binding as a sign of Yuki's insecurity. There was a chance that she couldn't hold the boy through the spell. The Mors had been set in a stand just above Ken's head, iron gleaming.

The Yami no Hon had been set up at the furthest end of the pentagram, on a thick podium of dark wood. With almost reverent hands, Yuki opened to the center of the pages. The pale vellum pulsed with a darkness that Crawford could almost feel. The witch cackled madly, her face taking a deathly pallor in the unnatural light. Drawing power from the damned tome, she raised her nearly skeletal hands and entered the warding.

"Let's begin..."

- - - - -

Youji stopped short as he slid from the car, cigarette falling from his lips. "Anyone else see that?"

Omi and Nagi had opened the window on the other side of car, their heads pressed together in wonder as they gazed out over what had been wreckage mere days ago.

Mere days before, the warehouse had been nothing but a collection of sheet metal and piles of concrete. Aya had seen the report about the unexplained collapse that had left only two walls relatively intact. As if in denial, four walls now stood darkly, shimmering with a light that couldn't be seen by human eyes. Magic held what was left of the building together with night bright lines.

In the air above and around the partial ruins, blood red paths of magic were pulled taut, edges raw where they had been stretched and torn by the Summoning. Imperceptibly, the lines were being drawn towards the building again, called by a greater power.

"The power is still here. The very fabric still weak..." Nagi whispered, feeling their own web throb in response to the presence of the well.

Aya didn't pause long before brushing past his teammates. "Time is running out...for us and Ken." He waited just long enough to see Omi take a following step and then turned to the building. Omi and Nagi took off to keep up, but Youji hissed in frustration.

"Back into Hell..."

- - - - -

Schuldich found himself watching the ceremony with a sick fascination. There wasn't much else he could do; he was even more powerless than when they had sabotaged the Triad's spell. At least then they'd had a plan. Relying on the good guys was starting to give him gray hairs.

_:Schuldich.:_

The red head didn't turn. _:I think that cowardice is the better part of valor, don't you:_ He saw Crawford nod partially, then begin backing away from the pentagram with painfully slow steps. The German was about to follow when he found he couldn't move. His entire body was frozen.

Yuki seemed not to notice Schwarz as she raised a silver dagger. "Bound to flesh, free once more." With a viscous slash, the witch cut her forearm, blood streaming freely down the too pale skin into rivulets that dripped a sickening cadence in the silent area. With slow, practiced steps, she walked across the warding, blood streaming behind her. Her body aged years with each step, until her skin was stretched near transparent over her bones, radiating the same sick non-light as her cursed book. She reached forward to grasp the Mors with a bloodied fist, gasping as her life force entwined itself with the ancient iron instrument. Her hand tightened, and blood coursed along the smooth metal until it began to pool on the dusty floor.

She looked about her, smirking at Schwarz's attempts to break her holding. Their part in this had come.

:_:Come to me.:_

Farfarello was the first to answer, taking one point of the pentagram with purposeful steps, as if this is what he had intended to do anyway. Schuldich laughed bitterly to himself as his own body began to feel the command. The Irishman probably didn't care one way or another: witchcraft was definitely going to make God scream.

The compulsion was undeniable, despite Schuldich's efforts to keep his feet from moving to the ground stone edge of the warding. A bare glance revealed Crawford in a similar plight: Yuki had called in her deal with Aste.

Schwarz was hers.

- - - - -

The Key looked around sharply, feeling the pull of Yuki's spell as she attempted to pull him from Ken's mind. The darkness was beginning to break, pools of reddened light seeking entrance into the last refuge. Chains groaned beneath Ken's renewed efforts to escape, flesh tearing.

They would both be destroyed, Ken's soul ripped into non-existence and the Key once again nothing but pure, unfeeling power.

Light poured into the sanctuary, bathing Ken in a ghastly blood red halo. Suddenly, he was aware...

He was aware of the small confined world within the pentagram, everything limned in the pallor of a weak white flame. Human figures were reduced to nothing but flickering outlines, luminescent candles set at the corners where the magic symbol met and bound. He knew each flame by name, watching as the one named Schuldich began to flicker wildly as the warmth was drawn from his body into the invisible void.

The others of Schwarz were in a similar situation, innate magic being drawn from their bodies. Yuki was at the center of the draw, body swollen with power.

The moment had come...

- - - - -

The remains of Schwarz took their places at the edge of the pentagram, unable to battle against Yuki's increased magic. She drew against the remains of the original spell, wounded red lines nearly visible under the strain.

Weiß watched helplessly as the power was drawn into the well of the Mors. The air screamed and the earth groaned with the stolen energy. As he watched Schwarz struggle against their invisible bonds, Aya knew they were too slow...too careful. Yuki moved quickly, not needing the witching hour of the Hallowed Eve to tear the universe again; it was still weak and scarred. Drawing on the untapped potential of the remaining Schwarz would allow the witch to open the universe once again.

Aya surged forward as the staff flashed once before it plunged through Ken's body. An unearthly crack resounded as it found and stuck fast in the concrete below.

Five voices screamed in unison, Weiß dropping to their knees in echoed agony. Yuki laughed in manic triumph. Weiß had come to witness the destruction of their companion's soul, separating the coven forever. There would be no return for Hidaka. He would be nothing but a bloody memory.

_:The pain was soul rending. Twin mouths opened in silent despair, unable to voice their agony. The Key staggered forward, trying to catch himself on Ken's shoulders. A shock rang through their bodies as the hands passed through flesh, chains cracking like breaking ice.:_

Crawford was still conscious though he could see that Schuldich had taken the worst of the drain, the German laying on the floor, chest heaving with shallow breaths. His own strength was waning fast, but he could feel something shifting, moving...and his power snapped back in staggering clarity.

_:Melting. He was melting, body liquid and pliable as the Key passed borrowed hands across his skin. One pass...two...skin ceased to have boundaries and the lines between them disappeared. The Key approached slowly, Ken feeling the eerie sense of leaning in to kiss a mirror, only no surface prevented their lips from touching. It wasn't a kiss in any known sense, as the Key smiled gently and faded into the magic from which it came._

_:The chains fell in a cascade of slivered steel, Ken dropping to his knees with his sudden release. He looked up into the bloody light, body incandescing as he stepped from his mind into his body.:_

Yuki cried with despair as Ken broke her blood spell, the magic falling to tatters about him. Her hands froze above the pools of his blood, her skin losing vitality until they had become nearly mummified. Her body followed with horrificly quick aging, spell claiming her magic as well as that of the near dead Schwarz.

Her scream was cut short as Ken's head snapped up, arms and legs ripping up the metal spikes that held his bonds with a shower of pulverized concrete. Now free, his hands reached up to grasp the staff that violated his body, snapping the Mors at the point where it entered. The shirt was more crimson than white, and clung with sickening wetness as the boy sat up, the last inches of the staff remaining in the floor.

The deep crimson blood flared around where the assassin stood bleeding, dark color leeching to an impossible white. Both witch and assassin were subsumed.

_:We are one:_

The mental cry took the form of an icy wind, sweeping back across the lines of the pentagram. Yuki was trapped by the force and she beat futilely against the barrier, screams whipped away in the maelstrom. The light flared again, a final cry echoing in sudden stillness.

_:We will live:_

- - - - -

Aya felt the wind only seconds before if ripped into the scaffolding, forcing him back as the metal and wood rained in broken jags. Still frozen with Ken's pain, he could only crouch, weakened arms coming up to protect his head. The wind passed quickly, destroying all the new work that Rosenkreuz had put into the building.

He hadn't realized that he had fallen until he felt Youji's hands under his arms. He stared at the uneven wall before him, hand clenched unconsciously over his heart. Their connection with Ken had been severed with the light.

Omi was already moving, small hands searching the rubble for openings. Nagi joined him, mind sending twisted steel bending back away from his companion.

"Aya! Here!"

It was little larger than a crawlspace. Nagi took Omi's hand and together they lifted the debris another few inches to give Aya clearance.

Sweat beaded on his forehead, Omi nodded. Aya and Youji moved as quickly as they could, working through snags and over larger pieces of concrete. The scene they came upon was much different from what they had left.

The pentagram was dark ash, burned into the stone beneath it. Three dusty bodies lay quietly a the edges, but Aya didn't have the time nor the care to wonder if any of Schwarz still breathed. His entire focus was on the two bodies laying at the center, painted with his lover's blood.

He could sense Ken's heart beating with his own, the too slow rhythm becoming louder as he approached. Aya fell to his knees, pulling Ken from the floor onto his lap. Miraculously, the Mors wound was no longer bleeding.

But he knew that Ken and the witch were beyond him. _Kami...Ken...you can't leave me now..._

_"The one who tastes of his blood..."_

Youji seemed just as shocked as Aya at the words. The blonde recovered quickly, nodding to the still warm blood covering Ken from neck to knee. "Remember. The Key told us. Whoever tastes of his blood has the Key's power."

_But will it take me to where he is?_ Aya shrugged off his own question, fingertips dipping into small pool of his lover's lifeblood. With trembling fingers, he raised his hand to his mouth, and tasted the crimson fluid.

That single instant expanded into an eternity, and Aya's world changed.

His already heightened sense were submerged in a world of magic and power. His eyes could see what remained of the deep well where the spell had been cast, but no hole remained into the mortal world. There was, however, a faint silver thread that pulsed across the empty air to where the tear had once been. Looking down, he could see the thread coming from Ken's body, at a point just above his heart, joining with four other threads, one from each of the coven. Their link.

His way to Ken.

He didn't bother to waste time with warning Youji. He couldn't help. Aya _reached_ and threw himself along the thread he sensed, consciousness soaring from his body. There was no real sensation, just a sudden sense of being _there_. A world of white, where Ken was facing off with the witch. He watched as Yuki looked about in despair, before giving one lonely cry.

"Mother!"

- - - - -

Ken and Yuki opened their eyes at the same moment. The failed magic had been redirected by the Key, taking them into a white world _between_ the realities. It took them both a moment to become fully aware of where they were and the realization tore at the emaciated witch's mind.

She stood, spinning a frantic circle. "Mother!" the witch screamed, her voice echoing brokenly in the white. Ken and Key sighed, their hand poised for the final damning blow.

"Your mother cannot help you here."

His arm fell sharply and the universe tore open.

Aya found himself lying a few feet from Ken and Yuki, shaking off the last of the passage between the worlds. His lover's face was grim as he faced what appeared to be nothing but a narrow slip of darkness before him.

There was nothing behind the tear but black, all the darker because of the white, chilling and empty. Suddenly, the wail of inhuman suffering drifted to them, Aya gasping as the emotions of the damned threatened to become his own.

"Ken, no!" Aya screamed, cold with realization.

Aya's cry nearly broke Ken's will. He thought he could handle Yuki without his team getting involved, but part of him was glad that his love would risk soul obliteration to follow.

Aya called again, but Ken would not turn. He could not finish what was needed if he turned now. Without looking back, he held Aya firm, determined to save his lover from his own inevitable fate. His hands wove in the air before him, fingers grasping at the unseen. The tear began to flux and waver, the edges becoming squared until Ken had molded an image into the barren white: a single innocuous door, only a few feet from the warring pair. Yuki gasped in horror and recognition.

"You wouldn't. You can't hold me..." A last instant of smugness caught her features. "The Door cannot be closed as long as you live! The Key..."

The assassin sighed tiredly. "It will lock behind me."

"Behind?" Realization of Ken's intent wiped the last of any sanity from the witch's mind. She screamed, throwing herself at her enemy's feet. She beat at his legs, pleading and offering anything to save herself from the end she had spent millennia running from. When her tirade was done, blood drooled from her mouth and her eyes were wild with fear and hate.

Almost gently, Ken touched her head with a single finger, momentarily soothing away the madness. It would be her last peace for the rest of eternity. Aya couldn't be sure _what_ moved, but suddenly Ken and the captive witch were much closer to the Door. The shadows increased in frenzy, some daring to reach into the white. Yuki cowered before the door, broken by what fate lay beyond. Ken gripped one skeletal arm, the other reaching for the gilded knob. It opened soundlessly at his touch.

Solid darkness poured from the open door, long fingered shadows gripping at the wood and Ken's hand. They seemed to ignore the assassin, instead attracted by some unseen aura about Yuki. Drawn to the evil steeped in her soul, the shadows pulled against the silent witch and with a resigned sigh, Ken released her arm.

Without contact, his peace broke and her maddened screaming resumed. The wail from beyond the door rose in response, despairing screams turning to a momentary triumph at claiming another damned soul. It was only moments before Yuki disappeared beyond and her screams became indistinguishable from the hellish voices.

Ken turned to Aya, blue gray eyes anguished. "I am the Key. As long as I live, the door to Hell can never be closed. It's over now." A sad smile. "You're free." He turned back to door, head lowered.

"Remember me."

Somehow inadequate for what he felt in his mind, Ken knew if he said more he would never have the will to finish. And it would never end.

One determined step took him past the threshold and into the darkness of Hell, sides of the door slamming behind him with a soul shattering bang. With agonizing slowness, the thin line, the scar, dissolved bottom up, leaving nothing but Aya in the white between.

Alone.

:title - final chapter:

:to madiha, tschubi-chan, and portia:

:this is it. the end. really.: 


	13. Epilogue

Clavicula Nox

epilogue: kanashii

- - - - -

_:"Aya...Ran..." Ken shuddered once, hands clutching at his teammate's leather jacket. The blood slicked hands slipped before finally catching in one of the many criss-crossing straps. "Let me go...":_

Aya choked back a cry as he threw himself from the dream...or memory...though it was all fading away now. The past memories were nothing more than odd shadows that haunted with less frequency. Omi supposed it was because they had fulfilled their purpose. With Yuki and the Key in Hell, there was no chance of retrieval...or the Door ever opening again.

The Heaven they had been long denied would be theirs after death, no questions asked. Youji joked that he was sorry that he spent so much time feeling guilty for sins he had more than paid for over a few hundred years of suffering. And then proceeded to escape from the flower shop, assured that nothing else in this life could stop him from final peace.

Nagi had gone back to Schwarz, with the promise that he would return if he couldn't convince his team to leave Rosenkreuz for good. They had managed to save all three remaining members, sparing a little of their own rapidly dispersing power to keep the German breathing, and Crawford semi conscious. Farfarello hadn't made a sound or move, sitting quietly in the Kritiker hospital until his American leader had come to claim him. The mysterious team was gone without even a nod of thanks, but Aya knew that the experience had changed them profoundly.

Aya started sharply as Omi gave a warning rap on his half open door. Before...when they had been ordinary, his door was shut and locked to keep the others at bay. Now, it was always cracked, so someone could save him from the soul tearing dreams of Ken. Though Aya was grateful that those memories were still clear, and showed no sign of being affected by the recession of their powers.

"Aya-kun?" Omi called as he stepped across the threshold. He smiled slightly at seeing Aya awake, a sympathetic smile. He knew why his teammate was still wiping the tears from the corner of his eyes. "Ano..." He didn't want to disturb Aya's mourning, but his own dreams had brought him at this early hour. He was sure they were the remains of memories, but he also knew they weren't his memories.

"Who is mother?"

Aya looked up in surprise, brows furrowed with concentration as he tried to recall why that word set off an echo of pity in his heart. "Mother? Yuki begged for her mother before..." He couldn't finish. His throat constricted and he bit back more tears.

Omi sighed. "I don't mean to make you sad, Aya-kun. I just wondered why."

Aya shook his head. He hadn't shared the last moments with anyone, to keep the face of his lover selfishly close. "I've thought of that myself. Why Mother? Why white?" He stood and paced to the window, pale curtains touched with the beginnings of dawn. "I think her mother was darkness. She drew her power from the absence of the light in people, in the world. The Key knew this and the only way to finally beat her power was to eliminate the darkness. The white world...was pure. No shadows, no evil for her draw on. Only herself and her own sins."

Aya sensed more than saw Omi leave after he finished speaking. He was lost in the white dawn just touching the city and he felt something lighten within him. He felt a reassurance that Ken was untouched within the darkness he sacrificed himself to, surrounded and protected by the light.

He couldn't have explained where the feeling came from anymore than he could explain to his other teammates why he still held the silver thread of their web long after it should have simple drifted away. Omi and Youji's threads were thin and nearly gone, but one still pulsed with silver power. Aya had been holding it with all his strength, unwilling to do what he knew was right.

With a sigh, he opened his hand, though no gesture was truly needed. Ken's thread sparkled briefly and the last tenuous knots unraveled. Now he was truly ordinary again, left with nothing but the memories of his life as Weiß. And the one night of passion spent with the other half of his soul.

_:No, never ordinary, Aya. No one who is loved is ordinary...:_

Aya smiled as the voice faded, never to haunt him again. He had let go and Ken's peace had become his own.

- - - - -

:fin:

:for everyone...minna...thank you so much: 


End file.
